I pulled into town in the afternoon of a sunny and warm day in late April. After checking-in to a hotel on the highway for the night, I drove into town for dinner. The first thing I saw as I crossed the tracks on South Division Street was a substantial and well preserved former Rock Island depot. After eating at Ruby’s Pub and Grill, the late afternoon sun was about right for photography so I made my way over to the depot.
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In 2008, Congress passed legislation requiring Class 1 railroads to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) by December 31, 2015. This was the nail in the coffin for the remaining “classic signals” left in the United States—the signals we grew up with. Semaphores, tri-lights, color position lights, and searchlights; all were slated to come down, replaced with the new “Darth Vader” signals that many despise. This new legislation’s deadline was extended, giving time to capture the last gasp of the “old signals” that are falling by the day on railroads all over the country.
Like many, I nearly waited too long to capture these unique structures before they were gone, so it was time to get moving. Last July it became apparent that if I was to see and capture any of these signals I would need to act quickly. A decision was made that, along with my dad, I would take off on a four day adventure through the Southwest to capture the last semaphores in mainline service in the United States. Little did I know, there were other gems to be found along the way. Read more