In the 1980s and 1990s, I made a project of photographing these three-position semaphores on Conrail’s former Erie Railroad route.
Recently a Style S signal has appeared in Palmer, Massachusetts in front of the railroad-themed ‘Train Masters Inn’.
A recent photo of the preserved US&S Style S semaphore in front of the Train Masters Inn on South Main Street in Palmer, Massachusetts. Can you spot the erroneous installation?
I asked the owner where he got it, and he indicated from a dealer in Ohio.
For point of comparison, I’ve included a few of my photos of semaphores along the old Erie.
This was a signal near Erie’s 242 milepost. The style of blade is a bit more modern than the signal in Palmer as it uses a different counterweight arrangement. However careful comparison between this blade and the preserved blade should lead to a conclusion.
Certainly, the signal in Palmer has similarities with the Erie’s; same type of blade as used on older installations, same type of finial.
Careful observers will notice the operating mistake in the way this preserved signal was installed; something that could be easily rectified.
A Susquehanna SD45 roars west at Canaseraga, New York on the old Erie Railroad mainline. Exposed on Kodachrome in May 1988.Conrail’s BUOI is running on track 1 against the current of traffic so the semaphore is displaying ‘stop and proceed’ as this is automatic block signal territory. Believe it or not, this was exposed on May 7th, 1989 following a freak late season snow storm.So I ask, where did this signal come from? Is it from the old Erie? And if so, where .I’d like to know.
The Train Masters Inn is a B&B located near the old Palmer Union Station. See: train masters inn.
