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Train Boards

Posted by Anonymous

on Fri, Jan 14 2005 7:22 PM

Does anyone have information on what the signs with the horizontal lines on them are, that can be found a long the right of way? I have seen these sign boards along the Canadian National and Wisconsin & Southern right of ways. They are white with black horizontal lines, sometimes one line sometimes three. What are these?

Kraig Kasten

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Posted by Anonymous

on Sun, Jan 16 2005 3:29 PM

It sounds like they are old style mile boards. Each mile board would be solid white.. Every quarter mile has a strip, ie: one stripe= 1/4 mile from the mileboard, 2 stripe= 1/2 mile from the mileboard, 3 stripes=3/4 mile from the mileboard. geoff

Posted by Anonymous

on Mon, Jan 17 2005 7:35 PM

I knew that I had seen them somewhere! I was the conductor on the Soo Shakopee Extra today running on UP track from St. Paul to Shakopee MN. Most of that style signboard are still along side modern markers. I believe (not positive though) that the trackage is ex CNW.

Posted by ndbprr

on Thu, Jan 20 2005 11:09 AM

They serve two purposes as near as I can tell. One it gives the engineer a measured distance to confirm speed and two when leaving a yard they allow the engineer to know how long his train is.