Overview
From the 1830s to today, the railroad industry has developed myriad complex mechanisms to help keep North America’s railroad rights-of-ways safe, efficient, and relatively accident-free. In this paperback rerelease of the successful 2003 title, the otherwise-arcane world of railroad signaling is explained in concise language and brought to life with nearly 200 fantastic photographs that depict signaling history and all aspects of modern operations. Author and photographer Brian Solomon brings his wealth of knowledge and photographic talent to a subject that has not often been tackled in book form, yet is integral to the American railroad experience.
Synopsis
This complete and illustrated guide to railroad signaling in the U.S. simplifies and presents the utterly bewildering array of mechanisms, procedures, and rules that have evolved since the 1830s to promote safety, impose control, and disseminate information on America's railways. In addition to providing a brief history of North American signaling from the nineteenth century onward, Brain Solomon provides photos of equipment and explanations of not only how it works, but how it is used and what it all means. Solomon also explains how trains on the same route are given "precedence" or placed in pecking orders and how routes are broken down into digestible segments called "blocks" that help dictate the speed and manner in which a train is driven. The result is a fascinating look at the development of communication on the rails, from the days when slips of paper describing an engineer's track orders were held on a metal hook for him to grab on the fly, to today, when instructions are transmitted via computer. Major manufacturers of signaling equipment are represented.
Editorials
From the Publisher
Solomon’s book…is rare, combining history, technological advances, theory, and practice into a compelling yet seldom told story…The easily digestible text and wonderful photographs of a diverse mix of historical and contemporary signal equipment enable readers to understand not only “how” basic systems work, but also “why”…Solomon gives this little known segment of railroading its due. -- Trains, July 1, 2010