Working on the Railroad: Ball Signals

Railroad signals can mean the difference between life and death. In 19th century America, devices called ball signals were used both on New England's railways and New York State's Erie Canal.

Hoisted on yardarms, ball signals like the one in the picture at left were raised and lowered to control train crossings. Often, these balls or cylinders were made of wicker or other lightweight materials.

According to the railway historian J.B. Calvert, I.K. Brunel used ball signals on the Southhall and Reading. Although these signaling devices were eventually replaced by the disc-and-crossbar, ball signals played an important role in signaling safety (raised) or danger (lowered).

In the United States, ball signals were also used to indicate whether or not a train could proceed. The raised signal - a highball - even provided the name for an alcoholic drink. Along the Erie Canal, ball signals featured lamps or lanterns for nighttime visibility. Whether ball signals are responsible for adding "lit up" to our liquor-laced lexicon is a matter of conjecture.

The image that accompanies this blog entry is a ball signal that was once located at Waumbek Junction, a crossing of the Maine Central and Boston & Maine Railroad in Jefferson, New Hampshire. If a single ball was raised, trains from the Boston & Maine could cross the Maine Central's tracks. If both balls were raised, the Maine Central could cross the Boston & Maine's tracks.

According to a plaque in North Conway, New Hampshire, where this ball signal now stands, the last such device in regular service on an American railroad is in Whitefield, New Hampshire.

Additional Reading:

Early Railway Signals

I.K. Brunel