I AM SETTING UP SIGNAL FOR BOY SCOUTS TO LEARN ASPECTS FOR RAILROADING MERIT BADGE AND HAVE A DOLL SIGNAL GIVEN ME BY CN , BUT NEED A BLUE 5 1/2 INNER DOUBLET FOR THE DOLL

Try Adlake, they still make and sell replacement lens.

Trainmd1 -

We need a couple of doll posts for signals on the main line at our museum. Do you happen to have a contact at CN that I might be able to talk to? A PM would be fine.

Thanks!


Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

OK, what the heck is a "doll signal"? Obviously a regional term, like "jack" is, in the northeast. A dwarf signal, perhaps?

Howard P.

Howard -

A photo would be easier to use to explain it, but since I don't have one that I can post, I'll try it with words.

Situation; you have a line of railroad with two tracks. A signal is needed for track number 1 but there is no room to put the signal next to that track, so it is put next to track number 2. The signal is for track 1, but is next to track 2, but how is train crew to know this? The solution is a doll post; an "arm", protruding out from the signal post (usually supported with an angled support) and with a light at the top and end of that arm, usually blue or purple. Thus when a train approaches this signal from either track 1 or track 2, they will know that the signal head (semaphore, searchlight, color light or whatever) pertains to track 1 and the blue or purple light at the end of the doll post, pertains to track 2. The blue or purple light is not giving a signal aspect to track 2 but is strictly an indication that the signal head is for track 1 and not track 2. Thus the signal is a doll signal or doll post signal, and the arm with the blue or purple light is the doll post itself. Have I thoroughly confused you?

Les

Got it. We call 'em "dummy masts" in these here parts. Or used to, at any rate. Lineside signals are now almost as rare as steam locomotives in the northeast.

Howard P.

Howard -

Glad you were able to figure out that what I was talking about was what you call a "dummy mast". We have working signals on our museum trackage main line and have two Erie signals (one semaphore and one searchlight) that need doll posts due to their locations. A lot of these type signals on the railroads, especially later in life, had neither blue or purple light, but just the post itself. I would settle for that. Maybe I might even get it one day (but I'm not holding my breath)!

Les

Kopp Glass, one of the original manufacturers of signal lenses, is still producing/supplying them (I believe Corning Glass quit long ago). Someone check their "Adlake-supplied" lenses, I believe they are manufactured by Kopp.

http://www.koppglass.com/Transportation.html

From the above linked page:



The webpage also supplies a couple of links for a catalog request or direct contact with a sales consultant.

Note that the catalog I received some 7-8 years ago was simply a stapled sheaf of xeroxed data sheets for the available lenses...very helpful and informative.

hope this is helpful.

sc 'doc' lewis