The signal crews on the Onondaga Cutoff have been busy doing the preparation work for the final cut-in on the territory, which will be CP-282, the interlocking controlling the main line at the west end of Onondaga Yard. The signal bridges themselves are under construction and have yet to be delivered, but the dwarf signals and masts are on-site and the crews are working to install all the boards and connections underground ahead of the cut-in.
Foreman Anshant is seen here with his crew on the South Runner, waiting for foul time on Track 1 to finalize an insulated joint.
Once the new signals are in place, the manual signals pictured here will be removed. Local railfans are doing what they can to document the last of these, as they will all be gone here within the next few months.
And - in the same light - a small group of guys went to the prototype Chicago Line in Syracuse, NY, a few weeks back to document the last of the former NYC signals before they, too, are replaced this year. Here's my image of CSX train Q384 about to knock down a medium approach aspect at CP-286 in East Syracuse, NY, as the snow falls heavily around us, with another eastbound train lined up on Track 2:
The remaining photos will be in my flickr account, some of which you can see now at this location. More are added as time permits. Stay tuned for photos of the final cut-in later this winter!
~RGDave
Those classic "big-bulb" signals are all but gone on the OC, I read about it in Railpace's "Onondoga Outlook" column. Those LLS&S (Life Like Switch & Signal Co. for those not in the know) models were all over the NYC until Anshant and his boys came along and wrecked everything. They say that by 2014 they'll have made it all the way to Syracuse. I'll believe it when i see it.
ReplyDelete