I just purchased a 1951 Seaboard Air Line operating rules book and was astonished to see "cab signals" included in the section devoted to movement by signal indication. The illustrations included four cab signal aspects: Clear (green); Approach Medium (yellow/green); Approach (yellow); and Restricting (red/yellow). While I realize that SAL passenger power was some times run through on the RF&P, SAL operating rules would neither apply to nor cover movement over the RF&P proper. That said, I do remember someone mentioning in the Q&A Forum some months ago a mid-20th century FRA project which required each railroad to experiment with some kind of main line train control or severely reduce their speeds. I have to plead total ignorance on this one and ask the forum "Did the SAL in 1950/51 (or thereabouts) have a main line subdivision equipped with cab signals?"

-- doug riddell (railroaddoug@erols.com), June 15, 2001

Answers

Doug-you may have solved a mystery I have been working on for over a year. The SAL never had an ICC approved cab signal system to the best of my knowledge on any of its divisions. However, it did apparently test a cab signal system between Denmark and Savannah in the period 1950-1951. This test was then abandoned. Rumor from several cab signal system experts also had it that the SAL wass going to or had installed a cab signal system on one of its divisions for passenger trains only, but it was not approved by the ICC due to it being a low level pick-up ssysstem(subject to interference from almost anything electrical and the ICC's desire to have alll trains equipped.

ICC started the cab signal/traincontrol process in 1923. More on this in a future Lines South article.

I would like to ask you if you could make a copy of the applicable section and forward it to me. I can supply you with my addresss offf line.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak @MNR.org), June 18, 2001.