Railroad signaling method and apparatus
OwnerThomas D. Howie, IIinventor
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Abstract
A railroad signaling device for conveying information to a train engineer comprises a pylon adapted to be secured to a cross tie of the railroad track at a location to be passed over by a train as the train moves down the track. The pylon has front and rear faces that bear indicia fabricated of a retroflective material to reflect the train's headlight back in the direction of the engineer. The pylon is located along the railroad track to be easily detectable by an engineer, especially in fog or inclement weather when the engineer's attention is focused down the track ahead.
Claims14
A passive reflective signaling device for providing information to the engineer of a train as the train moves along a railroad track, said signaling device comprising a generally tent-shaped unitary pylon having a base and a body portion tapering upwardly from said base to an apex of said pylon, said pylon being formed of weather resistant material and said body portion of said pylon defining a front face, reflective visual indicia on said front face of said pylon for conveying preselected information to the engineer, and means for securing said pylon to the railroad track positioned so that the train passes over the pylon as it continues to move down the track, said pylon having a predetermined height sufficiently small to avoid contact with the train as the train passes over said pylon.
A method of conveying information to the engineer of a train as the train moves along a railroad track, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a unitary molded pylon having an upwardly angled face bearing passive reflective indicia containing information to be conveyed, said pylon having a predetermined height less than the distance between the railroad track and the bottom of the train;
- and
- (b) mounting the pylon to the railroad track in a region of the railroad track that the train passes over as it moves along the track with the face of the pylon being positioned to be presented to the engineer as the train approaches the pylon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.