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- Railroad Crossing, Wyandotte, Michigan, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1925 - Multiple-track railroad crossings, where a roadway crosses more than one railroad track, are particularly dangerous. A train on or near the crossing on one track can block motorists' view of another train approaching the crossing on a different track. Crossings like this were some of the first to be protected with automated warning devices and gates.
- October 01, 1925
- Collections - Artifact
Railroad Crossing, Wyandotte, Michigan, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1925
Multiple-track railroad crossings, where a roadway crosses more than one railroad track, are particularly dangerous. A train on or near the crossing on one track can block motorists' view of another train approaching the crossing on a different track. Crossings like this were some of the first to be protected with automated warning devices and gates.
- Railroad Signal Lights, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1927 - The DT&I controlled train movements with an automatic block signaling system. The railroad line was sectioned into blocks. An electrical circuit in the track detected if a train was in a given block, or if the track was clear. The circuit then operated semaphore signals, like this one, that instructed an engineer how to proceed depending on the blade's position.
- February 08, 1927
- Collections - Artifact
Railroad Signal Lights, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1927
The DT&I controlled train movements with an automatic block signaling system. The railroad line was sectioned into blocks. An electrical circuit in the track detected if a train was in a given block, or if the track was clear. The circuit then operated semaphore signals, like this one, that instructed an engineer how to proceed depending on the blade's position.
- Railroad Crossing, Wyandotte, Michigan, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1925 - Apart from eliminating it altogether, the safest way to protect a railroad crossing is with movable gates. The earliest gates, introduced around 1870, were hand-operated by an employee stationed at the crossing. Automated gates first appeared in the 1930s. Four-quadrant gates completely block off the road, while more common two-quadrant gates block each lane only in the direction of travel.
- October 01, 1925
- Collections - Artifact
Railroad Crossing, Wyandotte, Michigan, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1925
Apart from eliminating it altogether, the safest way to protect a railroad crossing is with movable gates. The earliest gates, introduced around 1870, were hand-operated by an employee stationed at the crossing. Automated gates first appeared in the 1930s. Four-quadrant gates completely block off the road, while more common two-quadrant gates block each lane only in the direction of travel.
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Employees with Electric Locomotives, July 1925 - Under Henry Ford's ownership, the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad built a 15-mile branch from its mainline at Flat Rock, Michigan, to the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn. Electricity generated at the Rouge powered the line via overhead wires. Ford's Highland Park plant built two electric locomotives for the DT&I in 1925-1926. Together, the two locomotives produced around 3,800 horsepower.
- July 29, 1925
- Collections - Artifact
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Employees with Electric Locomotives, July 1925
Under Henry Ford's ownership, the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad built a 15-mile branch from its mainline at Flat Rock, Michigan, to the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn. Electricity generated at the Rouge powered the line via overhead wires. Ford's Highland Park plant built two electric locomotives for the DT&I in 1925-1926. Together, the two locomotives produced around 3,800 horsepower.
- Railroad Signal Light near the Diann Tower, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1927 - Traffic on many railroads is controlled by an automatic block signaling system. A railroad line is sectioned into blocks, and an electrical circuit in the track detects whether a train is in a given block. The circuit then operates differently colored signal lights, like these, that instruct an engineer how to proceed -- similar to an automobile traffic light.
- February 08, 1927
- Collections - Artifact
Railroad Signal Light near the Diann Tower, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1927
Traffic on many railroads is controlled by an automatic block signaling system. A railroad line is sectioned into blocks, and an electrical circuit in the track detects whether a train is in a given block. The circuit then operates differently colored signal lights, like these, that instruct an engineer how to proceed -- similar to an automobile traffic light.
- Railroad Crossing, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, December 1925 - Busy railroad crossings were protected by a signal person or, later, automated warning devices. Quieter crossings -- those on little-used branch lines or spurs, or over lightly traveled rural roads -- might only be marked with a sign. Designs varied by railroad company, but most used an X-shaped sign with a message like "Stop, Look and Listen" or "Look Out for the Cars."
- December 01, 1925
- Collections - Artifact
Railroad Crossing, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, December 1925
Busy railroad crossings were protected by a signal person or, later, automated warning devices. Quieter crossings -- those on little-used branch lines or spurs, or over lightly traveled rural roads -- might only be marked with a sign. Designs varied by railroad company, but most used an X-shaped sign with a message like "Stop, Look and Listen" or "Look Out for the Cars."
- Railroad Crossing Signal Lights, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, November 1926 - The first automated, flashing red light railroad crossing signal appeared around 1913. The flashing lights mimicked the motion of a lantern being swung back and forth -- long a signal for "stop" on American railroads. The X-shaped crossbuck sign, in wide use by 1900, was inspired by the skull and crossbones -- a universal symbol for danger.
- November 02, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Railroad Crossing Signal Lights, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, November 1926
The first automated, flashing red light railroad crossing signal appeared around 1913. The flashing lights mimicked the motion of a lantern being swung back and forth -- long a signal for "stop" on American railroads. The X-shaped crossbuck sign, in wide use by 1900, was inspired by the skull and crossbones -- a universal symbol for danger.
- Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1926 - The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- October 25, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1926
The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926 - The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- February 11, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926
The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926 - The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- February 11, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926
The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.