Wilton Semaphore
This semaphore, once located at the Wilton, CT. railroad station on the Danbury branch, played a vital role in keeping trains moving safely. Similar to a traffic light, the semaphore made sure one train wouldn't run into another train farther up the tracks. The signal was located atop a tall pole so it could be seen by the train crew before they arrived in the station. It gave two signal indications. When the blade was horizontal, it meant "Stop". When the blade was dropped, it meant "Proceed". One blade was for trains coming north, the other was for trains going south. The light on the blade was to help the engineer see the signal at night.
The semaphore was controlled by the operator on duty inside the station, manually moving tube blades which were connected to a rod and lever system. A freight train could not pass the semaphore until it got all the paperwork, called "Orders", from the operator. The operator would only throw the "proceed" signal back to "Stop" after the caboose had passed, so as not to confuse the conductor who worked in the back of the train.
The semaphore was retired under Metro-North Commuter Railroad in the late 1990's, and was replaced by signal lights operated out of Grand Central Terminal.
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