RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.
RULEBOOK SIGNAL ASPECTS
In General
NORAC roads
CROR
CORA
GCOR
This section is the gateway to signal aspects, mostly taken from rulebooks I have come across, borrowed, or stolen. The older the rulebooks get, the more interesting the reading... check some of them out! My favorite so far is the CNW rulebook from 1929.
B&O 1941
Cool PDF scan of 1941 signal
aspects by CG Tower
B&O 1969 - The
Baltimore and Ohio RR
Alton RR
a PDF by CG Tower
Amtrak Northeast
Corridor ex Pennsy signals between New York City and Washington DC
ATSF – Santa Fe
- 1989
Bessemer and
Lake Erie RR
CNW - Chicago and
North Western Rwy 1929
C&O - the
Chesapeake and Ohio Rwy 1958
C&O
1969
CP – Canadian
Pacific - 2005
Conrail
1988
CSX
Transportation 1987
CUT - Cincinnati Union Terminal Company - 1937 rulebook and signals
PDF from CG Tower, plus my one page reference
D&H - Delaware
and Hudson RR
DLW -
Delaware, Lackawana and Western - 1925
DTI - Detroit, Toledeo & Ironton rulebook and signals PDF from CG Tower
and my one page reference
ICG
- Illinois
Central Gulf - 1974/1985 link to a PDF signal flow chart by CG Tower and my
one pager
KCS - Kansas City
Southern 1998
LIRR - Long
Island RR 1989 scans by David P. Maloln
NH - the New Haven 1925
NS - Norfolk
Southern - Kentucky Division 2000
N&W - the Norfolk
and Western Railway
NYC - New York
Central RR - 1937/1951 reprint
New York City
Transit System - 1944
PRR -
the Pennsylvania Railroad - 1956
RF&P - the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac RR
PDF Version
RDG -
the Reading RR - 1954
PDF Version NEW
4/8/2011
SBD - the Seaboard System
- from a 1989 CSX Rulebook
SEPTA Subway / Heavy Rail 1963
SP - Southern Pacific RR 1907 NEW
4/14/2011
SP - Southern Pacific RR
1998
SR - Southern Rwy -
Georgia Division 1981
UP - Union Pacific
RR 1988
VGN - Virginian Railway -
1943
Washington
Terminal Company - 1968
WM - Western
Maryland Rwy - 1913
My quick reference sheets for the ATSF, B&O, B&LE, D&H, KCS, N&W, PRR, RF&P, SBD, SP, UP,
WM13 are
here in one PDF file.
If anyone has rulebooks they want to
share with the world, from some of the western roads, like the BN (or its
predecessors NP, CB&Q, GN), MILW, SOO, Western Pacific, SP&S, Frisco, Cotton
Belt, DRGW, MoPac, IC, GM&O, ICG, etc, they would be most appreciated.
Also wanted are aspects from the heritage roads feeding into CSX and NS.
Send em to toddgp30@yahoo.com
NORAC roads (Northeast
Operating Rules Advisory Committe)
NORAC was formed in January 1985
with the first five roads and Metro North. MN later backed out. The
Long Island, B&M, and P&W joined at the second meeting in May
1985. The rules became effective January 1, 1987. For more info,
check out: http://trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=230
1)
Conrail
1988
2) Amtrak
3)
New Jersey Transit
4) SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority)
5) Delaware &
Hudson
6) Providence & Worcester
7) Long
Island RR
8) Boston & Maine
9) Metro
North
CROR
(Canadian Railway Operating Rules)
Railroads in Canada follow these rules,
and almost all legacy installations use searchlight signals. Newer
installations, and replacement are seeing color light signals because of cost
and ease of maintenance. A few semaphores are supposed to still be around.
1)
The CROR Rules
CORA roads
(Chicago Operating Rules Association):
This section covers the
signal aspects of the member railroads. Judging from the thick manual, it
appears to cover mostly the signals that are different from the engineers are
used to on their own tracks. Clarification is still needed on that
assumption.
1) Amtrak
2) ATSF
3) BRC - Belt Railway of
Chicago
4) BN - Nurlington
Northrn
5) CC&P - Chicago,
Central & Pacific
6) C&NW - Chicago
& North Western
7) CSS - Chicago and South Shore
8) Conrail
9) CSX
10)
EJ&E - Elgin, Joliet and Eastern
11) GTW (CN) - Grand Trunk
Western
12) IC - Illinois Central
13) IHB - Indiana Harbor Belt
14)
Metra
15) NS
16) Soo Line (CP)
17) UP
18) WC – Wisconsin Central (no
signal aspects in the CORA book)
GCOR roads
(General Code of Operating Rules)(Western roads):
GCOR has something like 200
members railroads, so I don't know if I'm gonna get em all in here, if you see
one not listed, let me know. The following list I found is dated April
1994: http://www.sdrm.org/faqs/rulebook/title.html
Obviously, the list is not up to date. Another list is at (dated 2000): http://gsee.sdf-us.org/signals/docs/pdf/gcor/gcor_4-2000.pdf
1) ATSF - Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Company
2) UP - Union
Pacific RR
3) CNW - Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
4) BN
- Burlington Northern Railway Company
5) SP - Southern Pacific Lines
6) CP
- CP Rail System Heavy
Haul-US
7) AT&L
Railroad Company
8) Amtrak Western Division Peninsula Commute Service
9)
Arizona and California Railroad Company
10) Arizona Central Railroad Company
11) Arizona Eastern Railway Company
12) Border Pacific Railroad
13)
California and Western Railroad, Inc.
14) California Northern Railroad
Company
15) California Western Railroad
16) Cedar Rapids and Iowa City
Railway Company
17) Cedar River Railroad
18) Central California Traction
Company
19) Central Montana Rail, Inc.
20) Chicago Central and Pacific
Railroad Company
21) Columbia and Cowlitz Railway
22) Council Bluffs
Railway
23) Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corporation
24)
Davenport, Rock Island and Northwestern Railway Company
25) Duluth Missabe
and Iron Range Railway Company
26) Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway
27) Eastern Alabama Railway Company
28) Fox River Valley Railroad
Company
29) Gateway Western Railway
30) Grainbelt Corporation
31)
Grand Canyon Railway
32) Great Western Railway of Colorado
33) Great
Western Railway of Oregon
34) Green Bay and Western Railroad Company
35)
Hutchinson and Northern Railway Company
36) Indiana and Ohio Rail
System
37) Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation
38) Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd.
39) Jaxport Terminal Railway
40) Kansas City Terminal Railway Company
41) Kyle Railroad Company
42) Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
Company
43) Lewis and Clark Railway Company
44) Little Rock and Western
Railway, LP
45) Louisiana and Delta Railroad
46) McCloud River Railroad Company
47) Meridian and Bigbee
Railroad
48) MG Rail, Inc.
49) Minnesota Commercial Railway Company
50) Minnesota Valley Transportation Company
51) Montana Rail Link
52) Montana Western Railway Company
53) Mount Vernon Terminal Railway,
Inc.
54) Napa Valley Railroad Company
55) North Coast Railroad
56) Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation
57)
Northern Nevada Railroad Corporation
58) Otter Tail Valley Railroad Company,
Inc.
59) Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad
60) Railtex Railroad Division
61) Red River Valley and Western Railroad
62) Rochester and Southern
Railroad, Inc.
63) San Diego Northern Railway
64) San Diego Railroad
Museum
65) San Joaquin Valley Railroad Company
66) San Pedro and South
Western Railway Company
67) Sierra Railroad Company
68) South East Kansas
Railroad
69) Southwestern Railroad Company, Inc.
70) Southern California
Regional Rail Authority
71) St. Maries River Railroad Company
72) Texas
Limited
73) Texas Gonzales and Northern Railway Company, Inc.
74) Texas
Northwestern Railway Company, Inc.
75) Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway
Corporation
76) Trona Railway Company
77) Tulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway
Company
78) Twin Cities and Western Railroad Company
79) Utah Central
Railway
80) Utah Railway Company
81) Ventura County Railway Company
82) Washington Central Railroad Company, Inc.
83) Willamette and Pacific
Railroad, Inc.
84) Willamette Valley Railroad
85) Willamina and Grand
Ronde Railway
86) Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad Company, Inc.
87)
Wisconsin and Southern Railroad Company
88) Wisconsin Central, Ltd.
89)
Wyoming Colorado Railroad Company
90) Yreka Western Railroad
New:
04/24/2007
Last Updated:
07/24/2011
