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Author Topic: B&H Semaphore Blade?  (Read 10293 times)

Ken McCown

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B&H Semaphore Blade?
« on: December 05, 2008, 11:55:49 AM »
Hello, I am a very frequent contributor to Railroadiana Online Q&A Board, www.railroadiana.org. Recently there was a question (Q#1471) posted about a "B&H message box" that was given to the person asking about it by a museum some time ago. The item appears to be a three dimensional semaphore blade. As part of the answer I have already posted links to the Bridgton Historical Society and the Maine Narrow Gauge Museum websites. I am wondering if anyone has any more information or even a photo of this item when it was in use? Ken McCown trainmanken@roadrunner.com Cleveland, OH
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Dave Crow

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Re: B&H Semaphore Blade?
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2008, 01:38:03 PM »
Might it be Bath & Hammondsport in New York state?
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Ken McCown

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Re: B&H Semaphore Blade?
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2008, 02:48:55 PM »
The person that has the item states that it is from the Bridgton & Harrison, and really did not know enough about it to spell Bridgton correctly. Check out the photo of it that is posted at Railroadiana Online Q&A Board. If it is a B&H or B&SR artifact my hope would be that it could be reurned to its home territory and preserved and displayed. Ken McCown
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Mike Fox

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Re: B&H Semaphore Blade?
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2008, 08:26:24 PM »
I have posted a reply to that. I looked through some books at some pictures and found nothing. It does not look like anything that the B&SR would have used anyway.
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Stewart "Start" Rhine

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Re: B&H Semaphore Blade?
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2008, 02:46:07 PM »
The B&SR did not have a line side signal system.  Trains got signals at stations from the agents using flags or lanterns and signaling from the platform.  Agents kept a red lantern burning if they had to red board a train after dark.
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Ken McCown

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Re: B&H Semaphore Blade?
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2008, 11:23:15 AM »
More information has beeem posted about this item at Railroadiana Online. The owner says it is held together with square cut nails and brackets that appear to have been hand hammered by a blacksmith. It was acquired when a museum that had items from Edaville went out of business.
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Mike Fox

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Re: B&H Semaphore Blade?
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2008, 05:47:59 PM »
Cut nails does date it back pretty well but that still does not look like something the B&SR had. As Stewart said, they operated entirely on flags. I don't believe they had any form of written train orders that would have utilized that type of device.
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