Signals: Station Approach Signals

RRHX

Signals: Station Approach Signals

Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum

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Comments from Graydon Meints: 4/14/2003: The Michigan Central had a type of signal called "station semaphore" that was used to protect trains working at stations where there was limited view of the track by an approaching train. I'd have to look in an employee timetable of the 1950's--at which time they were still in use. I think that Middleville, Hastings, and Eaton Rapids had them. Mackinaw City had one for northward trains. There were others. When they were finally discontinued--in the 1950s--they were operated by trains occupying a track circuit. I'm sure that in earlier days they were manually operated, probably by a wire from some location that ran out to the signal. Sounds primitive by today's standards, but at the time they probably were state of the art and did protect switching movements. They supplemented the manual block system, but did not supersede it. The manual block system insofar as it applied to non-passenger-carrying trains provided a clear block indication only outside of yard limits. All second- and lower-class trains and extras had to move at restricted speed within yard limits. So they probably improved the movement of such trains to some extent.