Hudson Line Signal System Design - Croton to POK

Anybody know how old the current design for the Hudson Line Signal System is? I know Conrail put in cab signals based on the then-existing block lengths in 1982, but when were those block lengths determined?

(I am also cross-posting this on the New York Central and Penn Central forums)

Thanks for any help you can provide.

The Hudson Line between Poughkeepsie and Croton-Harmon is owned and
operated by Metro-North Railroad. The cab signal system was put in by
Metro-North some years back.
You need to go on the Metro-North forum for this one.
Noel Weaver

I moved this from Conrail to here - have fun.

I am looking for information on the ORIGINAL design of the current system -- when the current block lengths were determined -- not the installation date of the current technology used.

As I noted, the cab signal system was put in by CONRAIL in 1982, before Metro-North took over (or even existed as a railroad). This cab signal system was overlaid on the wayside system already in place, which must have been installed by either Conrail, Penn Central, or, as I suspect, the New York Central. Therefore, I posted on the fora most likely to attract someone who had some expertise in the time periods for those railroads.

If anyone on this forum can help, so much the better, but I am not looking for information on the technology or equipment, with which I am a little more than glancingly familiar, but the approximate date when the block lengths were determined.

Since block lenght is determined by track speed its safe to say it was determined when the track speed last had a big change. so yes pre-MNCR.
And despite fact Hudson line had cab signal the system was completly replaced under MNCR when they went from wayside with cabsignal to current no wayside with cab/atc system.

One minor note, The Hudson line and even the Harlem line are still owned by Penn Central, or Americam Premier Underwriters as they are now know as. Metro North started a 25 year payment plan in 1992 to buy the Harlem & Hudson lines as well as GCT.

metroduff wrote:Anybody know how old the current design for the Hudson Line Signal System is? I know Conrail put in cab signals based on the then-existing block lengths in 1982, but when were those block lengths determined?

(I am also cross-posting this on the New York Central and Penn Central forums)

Thanks for any help you can provide.

There is a unique characteristic of the signal system between CP 35 and CP 75. An old instructor who has since passed away explained that this portion of Metro-North territory was the only "true TCS" (M-N calls it CTC and CABS) where the signal system will show the condition of the block in both directions. Here's an example: If a northbound train stops in Yonkers and the RTC tells the engineer to change ends and head south, the train will have a restricted cab signal until they reach the next interlocking at CP 12. If a northbound train stops in Poughkeepsie station and changes ends, the RTC can reverse traffic and give a more favorable signal to proceed in the opposite direction.

capecodlocoguy wrote:One minor note, The Hudson line and even the Harlem line are still owned by Penn Central, or Americam Premier Underwriters as they are now know as. Metro North started a 25 year payment plan in 1992 to buy the Harlem & Hudson lines as well as GCT.

Posession is 9/10s of ownership. APU is getting money for assets they have absolutely no use for. Talk about having your cake and eating it too!

And to think that some call the former Penn Central a money loser!!!

The most recent issue of Mileposts mentions a study conducted by MN, CSX, and the NYSDOT to look at future improvements to the line to deal with the increased traffic over the past 20 years and what can be done for the next 20. One of the things it specifically mentioned was the signal system. Does anyone know what kinds of changes MN would be looking to do the line? The blurb mentioned improving service north of Croton.