One of the active members and volunteers in the Signal Department is Frank Carraro. Here are pictures and a report submitted by Frank. Good work, and thank you, Frank.
If you haven't noticed the small aluminum building at the corner of
the Office building on the Central Ave side, you should. It is an
"instrument hut" or "signal bungalow", and something important happened in it
Saturday May 11th. In particular, the first wire in the actual complex
signal wiring was installed.
In the photo of the interior of the hut, the
structure on the left is a rack of 74 relay plugboards.
In this photo you
see one relay inserted in the board just to show what one looks like when
plugged
in.
On the back side of the rack is much much of the wiring needed
to make the whole thing work. The wires are connected to a small metal clip
which snaps into place so that the wire connects to the relay when it is
plugged in. In the next photo you see it being inserted into the proper
slot. The first wire that interconnects one relay to another. As you may
guess this is very painstaking work. A mistake can cause trouble the first
time the whole thing is powered up, or years down the line when a signal
gives an incorrect indication.
The circuit drawings were created by Member
John Wells, who is a professional signal designer. Each wire is shown and
has a name, such as "121HD3". It has a starting point, such as
"121EHDR-F1" and and ending point such as "112TPPR-H4". A small plastic
wire tag is placed on the wire at each end when the wire is connected to the
device. Then, after double checking that the wire is connected where the tag
says it is, the circuit print is marked out to show it's done.
When this
hut is done - this fall maybe - it wiill be picked up and moved to the east
end of the depot tracks, and after a lot more work, connected to the signals,
and the newly installed switch machines it will control and then, by means of
our CTC system, to the Dispatcher's control panel in Spaulding
tower.
That's how our signal system expands. One wire at a time.
Comments
Sun, 02-21-2021 21:12
Hi Ethan The 428 has been worked on recently but the focus now is on the maintenance and repair on the 1630 and the Shay. This Spring we will [...]
Sun, 02-21-2021 15:10
How is the UP 428 Steam locomotive engine is most done being fixed. OK Roger.
Sun, 02-21-2021 13:18
Hello Max The answer is Yes, the Dover will be used along with our other Pullman cars only in special event operations. When not in use [...]
Sun, 02-21-2021 12:30
Hello Jim We will be operating the Dover this year depending upon its mechanical condition. I hope to use the car in display venue as well as in [...]
Sun, 02-21-2021 12:24
Hello Kirk Hello, Yes the Dover is now in great shape. There are a couple of little projects to accomplish when the weather changes. I am [...]
Sat, 02-20-2021 18:55
Will the DOVER STRAIT be operational for Museum trips
Sat, 02-20-2021 17:06
I’m really impressed with the wonderful job your volunteers are doing to restore this historic passenger car. Once the restoration is complete, does [...]
Sat, 02-20-2021 14:02
It is great to see the work that Bob Hunter and Gene Macowiak started in the 1990’s. Great work done in finishing the two bedrooms and the buffet [...]
Fri, 02-19-2021 18:41
Very good article. I definitely love this website. Continue the good work!
Tue, 02-02-2021 10:15
I know it is wintertime, and the Virus is making getting people in to do work is difficult, so in a few months, when it's warmer, would someone please [...]
Sun, 01-31-2021 14:37
Hello Jack Thank you very much We in the coach dept are working very hard to have these trains restored Thanks Roger
Sat, 01-30-2021 18:45
pre oiler is a great idea saves lots of wear and tear on engines. a pat on the back for the diesel crew