Follow Up: Unusual Semaphore in an Unexpected Place.

In my Tracking the Light post from 23 March 2016, Unusual Semaphore in an Unexpected Place, I displayed photos of an unusual three-position semaphore in The Full Shilling pub in Finglas, Dublin.

Full_Shilling_P1420155

This had puzzled me since it appears to be a mirror image of a once-standard American style of semaphore blade, and is a rather incongruous decoration to find in a suburban Dublin pub.

I’ve had a lot of traffic on this subject.

It was most certainly not a signal employed on an Irish railway.

While the full story has yet to be unraveled, the signal blade appears to be of a type used on railways in New South Wales Australia.

See; http://vrhistory.com/walks/Gunning/Gunning.htm

The other day, I returned to The Full Shilling for another inspection of the signal and a few more photographs (etc).

This is the mirror of a common three-position semaphore used in the United States and seems to have likely come from Australia which used a mix of British and American signaling practices. The specific details remain elusive.
This is the mirror of a common three-position semaphore used in the United States and seems to have likely come from Australia which used a mix of British and American signaling practices. The specific details remain elusive.
A view of the back of the same signal displayed at The Full Shilling in Finglas.
A view of the back of the same signal displayed at The Full Shilling in Finglas.
Also on display is this grade crossing warning.
Also on display is this grade crossing warning.

Special thanks to everyone who made suggestions and provided information and links, including: Donncha Cronin, Ken Fox, and Michael Walsh. See the following link for discussion of my original posting: http://forum.signalbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7525

Tracking the Light Posts Every Day.

2 comments on “Follow Up: Unusual Semaphore in an Unexpected Place.

  1. Manikandan Venkataramanan on said:

    If you are interested, here is another shot of the three position semaphores in action
    https://flic.kr/p/G3bUtG

    This and all its members are my source, http://www.irfca.org/faq/
    By the way, your Alcos (refurbished and modernized) and the swanky new EMDs work (on a variety of named passenger trains as well as freight), if it makes you happy 🙂

  2. Manikandan Venkataramanan on said:

    Ha! Eureka moment is it?
    Thats nice, yes that would be logical, some of the former British colonies did follow a mixture of British and NA signaling practices.

    Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, the three position semaphore was also tried out in India where we had the same type and of the same color. Here is a link to the same https://flic.kr/p/FYBX9a

    There are many more of such examples in our museums. It is quite possible that the British Empire used the same for Australia as well as India

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