Shouldn't this signal be red?

The signal shown is located on the Strasburg Railroad. It is connected to the points of the spring switch for the passing siding and indicates whether the switch is lined normal or reversed. Even though it is a tourist line, the Strasburg RR is a common carrier and must abide by PUC and FRA regulations, so the signal is NOT for cosmetic purposes.

And for those of you not familiar with the picture, it is at the west end of the Straburg Railroad's passing siding.

You will find similar signals on CSXT's former P&LE Monongahela division. The passing sidings are protected with distant signals that show 'green' when the switch is lined normal, and 'yellow' when it is reversed and lined for the siding. It has nothing to do with block occupancy.

Shouldnt signals that only show points orientation be a colour other than green red , etc ??
In New Zealand they are Purple .

purple signals? do u have any pictures?

dyardmaster1 wrote:The signal shown is located on the Strasburg Railroad. It is connected to the points of the spring switch for the passing siding and indicates whether the switch is lined normal or reversed. Even though it is a tourist line, the Strasburg RR is a common carrier and must abide by PUC and FRA regulations, so the signal is NOT for cosmetic purposes.

And for those of you not familiar with the picture, it is at the west end of the Straburg Railroad's passing siding.

Been there. The SRR signal here shows yellow when the intent is for the eastbound train to take the passing siding. This happens when the SRR is operating two trains simultaneously, and they meet at the passing siding.

It shows green (as shown in the photo) when the intent is to take the main track. This happens when there is only one train, and there is no need to take the passing siding.

If I remember correctly aren't those switches both spring switches? The signal would indicate switch closed "Normal/staight routing" or yellow switch open for "reversed/diverging route". On NORAC these signals were designated by a placard sign "DS" mounted on the mast. The BN shot appears to be an ABS signal and due to the trains speed (assumed) and the insulated joint just under the second unit, the signal hasn't had time to activate yet, takes a couple seconds.

roadster wrote:If I remember correctly aren't those switches both spring switches? ...

The east end of the passing siding is most certainly a spring switch. It's near and visible from the SRR's picnic grounds - only accessible by the railroad - and makes quite a racket when the train traverses east.

Makes sense that both are spring switches, with some means of locking them for straight movements (no siding).

Just wondering, is the signal simnply a switch position indication? I know that some railroads use signals to indicate the direction in which a power switch is lined. Green might indicate the switch is "closed" or lined for a through route, a yellow indication might indicate the switch has been "opened" and is lined for a diverging route.

Finally, is there a chance that Cherry Hill is also a location where train orders are issued? Is the signal a manually operated block occupancy signal controlled by an operator?

Snoozer go to the top of the page and read the post by dyardmaster1. It has already given the answers.