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- DT& I Railroad Crossing at Eureka Road, Wayne County, Michigan, 1924-1925 - One way to make a railroad crossing safer was to eliminate it altogether. Overpasses separated trains from automobiles, but they were expensive to build and required extensive regrading of either the railroad or the roadway -- and sometimes both. As a result, overpasses tended to be built only at the busiest crossings.
- 1924-1925
- Collections - Artifact
DT& I Railroad Crossing at Eureka Road, Wayne County, Michigan, 1924-1925
One way to make a railroad crossing safer was to eliminate it altogether. Overpasses separated trains from automobiles, but they were expensive to build and required extensive regrading of either the railroad or the roadway -- and sometimes both. As a result, overpasses tended to be built only at the busiest crossings.
- 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.
- American Locomotive Company Steam Locomotive, 1902 - The American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York, built this locomotive in 1902. It is a 4-4-2 Atlantic type, with four leading wheels, four driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. The Atlantic was designed to pull light wooden passenger cars at high speeds. This locomotive operated on the Michigan Central Railroad's Detroit-Chicago line until heavier steel cars made it obsolete.
- 1902
- Collections - Artifact
American Locomotive Company Steam Locomotive, 1902
The American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York, built this locomotive in 1902. It is a 4-4-2 Atlantic type, with four leading wheels, four driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. The Atlantic was designed to pull light wooden passenger cars at high speeds. This locomotive operated on the Michigan Central Railroad's Detroit-Chicago line until heavier steel cars made it obsolete.
- 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.
- Interior of Interlocking Tower on the D.T. & I. Railroad, Detroit, Michigan, July 1926 - The operator stationed in this Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad building would have kept busy. This interlocking tower protected the crossing of a DT&I branch with the Detroit United Railway's streetcar line on Jefferson Avenue. The tower operator likely was responsible for activating the railroad crossing gates as well.
- July 02, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of Interlocking Tower on the D.T. & I. Railroad, Detroit, Michigan, July 1926
The operator stationed in this Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad building would have kept busy. This interlocking tower protected the crossing of a DT&I branch with the Detroit United Railway's streetcar line on Jefferson Avenue. The tower operator likely was responsible for activating the railroad crossing gates as well.
- Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Crossing, Lima, Ohio, 1923 - This rural railroad crossing near Lima, Ohio, illustrates an early danger to motorists and railroaders. Vegetation along the track obscured drivers' vision, and fast-moving trains could not stop quickly. Drivers were advised to "stop, look and listen," as written on the crossing sign's post, before they proceeded over railroad tracks. Improved warning devices and safety awareness campaigns made crossings safer.
- 1923
- Collections - Artifact
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Crossing, Lima, Ohio, 1923
This rural railroad crossing near Lima, Ohio, illustrates an early danger to motorists and railroaders. Vegetation along the track obscured drivers' vision, and fast-moving trains could not stop quickly. Drivers were advised to "stop, look and listen," as written on the crossing sign's post, before they proceeded over railroad tracks. Improved warning devices and safety awareness campaigns made crossings safer.
- Railroad Crossing Flash Signal, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, March 1925 - In the United States, locomotive engineers must sound a specific sequence of horn or whistle blasts when approaching most road crossings: two long blasts, one short, and one more long. Railroads frequently placed a whistle post, like this one, along the track about one-quarter mile before a crossing to notify the engineer when to use the horn.
- March 20, 1925
- Collections - Artifact
Railroad Crossing Flash Signal, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, March 1925
In the United States, locomotive engineers must sound a specific sequence of horn or whistle blasts when approaching most road crossings: two long blasts, one short, and one more long. Railroads frequently placed a whistle post, like this one, along the track about one-quarter mile before a crossing to notify the engineer when to use the horn.