In the old days, when the towers were manned, there usually was an audible device that the towerman could use. The signals were prescribed in the rule book (which I don't have a copy of). As I recall, they were: 1 long - all movements within the interlocking stop 2 short - indicating to a train to take a signal 3 short - indicating to a train to back up 4 short - call for the signal maintainer 5 short - call for the communications dept. (?) 6 short - call for the catenary dept. (?) The electro-pneumatic interlockings (UN, Denville, Summit, Roseville Ave., Newark, West End, Grove Street and Terminal) used the compressed air used to throw the switches to power this. Dover had a klaxon horn that you could use to call someone who might be down in the yard, but it was hardly audible from the tower. West End had two or three which sounded simultaneously. Grove Street's was mounted on the roof of the tower (loud - sounded like a locomotive steam whistle - you pulled a whistle cord to sound it). I only used the "1 long" twice. Once at Port Morris I had an eastbound freight shoving a cut of cars into the yard while a drill was coming out of the yard (approaching the signal). I knew he wasn't going anywhere, but I didn't want the other freight to back into him. The other time was one New Year's eve at Grove St. - at midnight! One time (late high school (?)) Rich Pennisi and I climbed the signal bridge at UN that had the whistle mounted to it. Good thing Rich warned me that the towerman (not T. Sipple) was going to blow the whistle at us, so that I wouldn't jump off when he did. John Bobinyec The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List http://EL-List.railfan.net/ To Unsubscribe: http://Lists.Railfan.net/erielackunsub.html ------------------------------
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