These pages on early signals cover signals that for the most part have gone the way of the steam
engine.
B&O CPL and Pennsy PL signals are slowly joining this "group", along with searchlight signals.
On this page, we will cover Ball Signals.
Ball signals were an early form of railroad signaling. They were
simple devices, consisting of a "ball" suspended on a rope that usually ran
around two pulleys, so the ball could be raised and lowered. Some
railroads even used a translucent ball, so a lamp could be placed inside in
order for the ball to be seen at night. Some railroads even incorporated a
device at the top for an illuminated ball to be drawn up into a cylindrical device/housing,
so the lit ball could not be seen, giving the signal a third indication (see below).
The term "Highball" came from these signals, where a high ball indicated to the
engineer that he could proceed at full speed.
According to several sources I've seen, ball signals did not last very long, from
roughly 1832, to around 1840, some (much) longer like the one in Whitefield NH.
Below is a picture of a model of a ball signal made by River Leaf Models
that shows the parts of a ball signal in good detail. IMHO, 35 bucks for
this model is a steal :-)
Acknowledgements:
Andrew Blaszczyk
Ralph Cunningham
Ian Lefkowitz via Google Maps
River Leaf Models
archlaper
besttrains.com
Google Maps
Open Railway Map
Wikipedia
GPS Coordinates: 38.45651, -75.57806
12 N. Pennsylvania Ave, Delmar, DE 19940
I've lived in Maryland since 1966, and never knew about this "hidden gem" until
I was doing an update to this page! :-) I can't tell you how many times I
have been close to here over the years, either on Route 50 headed to Ocean City
MD, or 404 going to Rehoboth Beach DE.
The track that runs adjacent to the park used to be the Pennsylvania RR.
After it became the Penn Central, they started selling off the Delmarva
Division. It has been owned by a slew of railroads, the latest of which is
the Delmarva Central RR. There base of operations is about 32 miles north
in Harrington DE.
If you're headed to Rehoboth, head south on US-13 from Bridgeville, it's about
20 miles to the park after taking a right onto 54 in Delmar.
If you're going to OC via US-50, take the cutoff for MD54, and the park will be
on your left in less than 10 miles. To get back on 50, head south on 13.
If you're coming down from Wilmington DE, just come down on US-13, and then take
that right onto 54 once in Delmar.
It's kind of funny that two of the last surviving Ball Signal are in New Hampshire :-)
It was erected in 1875, and is at the junction of the
Maine Central RR and the Boston & Maine RR.
Neither railroad is active, so the signal is no longer an active signal.
The two tracks labeled "1" and "2" travel east about 2.3
(3.7km) miles east before joining at Hazen Rd. Not sure when they joined
the two tracks together, anyone know?
besttrains.com
The screengrab below shows where the two lines join each other after
paralleling each other for 2.3 miles from the diamond. This was not always
the case back when the Maine Central and the Boston & Maine were competing for business.
Disclaimers:
New format 10/26/23: Please check out my disclaimer page for my standard
dribble and contact info here
from highballsignal.com
Ian Lefkowitz/both close shots/Google Maps
9/2011 - archlaper
11/2004 - Ralph Cunningham
besttrains.com
