Kansas City
Male
Huh. I guess covid made me a trendsetter.
Switching Station with the KC Rookies
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
We held a rookie meetup in Kansas City last Saturday to celebrate 420 and introduce some of the new explorers in town to the local community. After getting to know them over drinks at a local cafe bar, we took them to a nearby switching station from a defunct railroad company as a nice easy spot.

I hadn't been to this spot before, so the switchboard and map was both super cool and intact. You don't see machinery like this anymore, not since modern computers made these huge towers obsolete.











New Jersey
Neither
Nomad
Re: Switching Station with the KC Rookies
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Nice photos. Definitely want to check this out when I come down that way.
On the Road to Wellville
HY KAK TO TAK
Re: Switching Station with the KC Rookies
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by Aran

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczO_X68fGx-8V75qWNVtPF0YtiwagnWw2XyxY9fyYTaAF6Gju4pofBgNjm6m AxjvM5ecaw_c8Qm3ENopOzG8gc9fNGl1JH37BdofcYVkAE0Pv7G1i7Q7ly9G4B7dh2QmkBBu7fj5g_0noRUIedCyrQTP=w519-h38 6-s-no-gm?authuser=0?.jpg



Union Switch & Signal Model 14. I used to work on these.

It came out in 1922 and many remain in use today. Mostly around the NYC-area.

From the picture, it looks like the route locking has been removed. Probably by scrappers because they often contained 100 lbs. (or more) of brass.

Inside the back of the machine would be magnet locks and a pair of bevel gears to drive the band shaft which would be vertical in the back of the machine.

The band shaft was an metal core, rubber shaft that had brass bands that went across different segments. The segments were lettered N,A,X,B,C,D,Y,E, & R. That order makes sense if you understand railroad lingo.

In any case, based on the position of the lever, different band segments would provide a closed circuit.

On the circuit diagram below, the circles I have highlighted are the bands and the letters in the circle state which band segments provide a closed circuit.



BTW: That print is the floodgate control for Penn Station.
Kansas City
Male
Huh. I guess covid made me a trendsetter.
Re: Switching Station with the KC Rookies
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by Radio2600


Union Switch & Signal Model 14. I used to work on these.

It came out in 1922 and many remain in use today. Mostly around the NYC-area.

From the picture, it looks like the route locking has been removed. Probably by scrappers because they often contained 100 lbs. (or more) of brass.

Inside the back of the machine would be magnet locks and a pair of bevel gears to drive the band shaft which would be vertical in the back of the machine.

The band shaft was an metal core, rubber shaft that had brass bands that went across different segments. The segments were lettered N,A,X,B,C,D,Y,E, & R. That order makes sense if you understand railroad lingo.

In any case, based on the position of the lever, different band segments would provide a closed circuit.

On the circuit diagram below, the circles I have highlighted are the bands and the letters in the circle state which band segments provide a closed circuit.

https://i.imgur.com/UuSbm30.png

BTW: That print is the floodgate control for Penn Station.



Very cool to get a look at the technical blueprints and see which pieces do what. Thanks so much for sharing that!
This thread is currently Public. Anyone, including search engines, may see it.