The CB&Q signals are coming down on the Raceway?

[Anonymous]

 I recently drove through La Grange and for as far north as i could see, The signals were all replaced! Is BNSF gonna take all of them down? When?      Any info would be great! Thanks

[n012944]

Not sure of the timeline but the BNSF has slowly been changing them out for a while.

 

Bert

[Anonymous]

thanks bert, Its such a shame to see those signals which have been a fixture on the raceway for such a long time come down. I wonder what will happen to them. Im gonna have to get out there and get as many shots of those things before they become extinct.

[eolafan]

While at Eola yesterday traffic on my scanner indicated signal crews were working near the Naperville station replacing the signal tower just east of the station (this has been going on for a while now).  I am anticipating the towers within the Eola yard limits to come down some day soon as we have seen the replacement components sitting on the ground near the yard office for some time now.

[CopCarSS]

Wow...what on earth will I use to frame shots with at the West End of Eola if that venerable old signal bridge is gone?

[eolafan]

Wow...what on earth will I use to frame shots with at the West End of Eola if that venerable old signal bridge is gone?

I believe they are going to replace the Eola signal bridges, not eliminate them. No word on time frame yet.

[Anonymous]

Ya know its a real shame to see them come down. I want to get as many shots as I can of them before their ALL gone.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The signal bridges are not so much being eliminated as replaced.  I've noticed that the ATSF cantilever signal bridges are also starting to be replaced.

[CShaveRR]

I suspect that a lot of this signal replacement is for practical reasons, instead of merely replacing signal bridges for the sake of replacing bridges.  For example, the crossovers that used to be between LaGrange and Congress Park have been (apparently) eliminated or relocated further east, making that bridge east of LaGrange Road a distant signal instead of a home signal (sorry about the old terminology--it's my day off and the rulebook is put away).

I've also noticed that the new bridges are considerably taller than the old ones--I'm sure the double-stacked containers weren't scraping the old signals, but is it possible that clearances were a little too close for comfort?

What's curious to me is that the signals are being changed out, too--the old searchlight signals (with moving parts and therefore more subject to failure) are most often replaced with hooded color-light signals.  Yet some of the new bridges have just-as-new searchlight signals on them.  What's with that?

[Anonymous]

yes, I thought that was strange my self carl. It looks as if they were taking the signals off the old bridges and placing them on the new bridge frames. I really have to see those old CB&Q and AT&SF signals being replaced but hey, they are getting pretty old. It would be nice to have a list of signals that are left and their location.

[eolafan]

I wonder if BNSF will now be using LED lights on the new signals like EJ&E did recently on their new signals in the Aurora area.

[CShaveRR]

(Doing my best Al Borland imitation)

I don't think so, Jim.

The signals I can see head-on (LaGrange, mostly) appear to be standard incandescant lights, not LEDs.  Even when you can't observe them close-up, the difference in the flashing aspects is obvious:  LEDs would light up and cut off much faster than these signal lights do.

[Anonymous]

Now that i think of it, Yes, Those signals dont flash on and the imediatly cut off. So yes, those aren't LEDS. I dont think their gonna be switchin up the signals too much on the old chilli sub. atleast i hope not. I wish i would have grown up in a time when things were better. No real problems with security, There were alot more operating interlocking towers, Signals were the original railroads and there were alot more roads than there are today. Thats why i love model railroading, You can model any time period you like.