NYC Style SA Searchlight Signals - Any Out There?

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NYC Style SA Searchlight Signals - Any Out There?

Unread postby PullmanCar » Sun Jan 18, 2026 12:07 pm

Hello,

As route building progresses on my Kalamazoo Route, I have found myself South of CP Cowling, where the Tri-Lite signals give way to searchlights. Despite looking through RCAP, Sherman Hill, G-Trax, (and Penn Coal and R-Cap for Tri-Lites and Mountain Sub for CPLs on the GR&I) I have not found any of the NYC style "SA" Type Searchlights, which were characterised by a very tall pole and very small backing or "target". I thought the Boston & Albany Route (which I do not have, I know a crime in itself considering the RPO and PA) might have some given it is NYC, but a look on steam showed a searchlight with a 'regular' sized target housing, something I am not really willing to spend $40 on since it is not exact. Does anyone know of any NYC style searchlights I suppose is the question? 3-head on the mainline, 2-head and 1-head on the former Air Line and Kalamazoo Branch.
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Thank you,

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Re: NYC Style SA Searchlight Signals - Any Out There?

Unread postby buzz456 » Sun Jan 18, 2026 1:12 pm

Close anyway. Minerman's New York Division-Bergen Line.
20260118130439_1.jpg
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Re: NYC Style SA Searchlight Signals - Any Out There?

Unread postby GreatNortherner » Mon Jan 19, 2026 4:46 am

[highlight=][/highlight]
PullmanCar wrote:a look on steam showed a searchlight with a 'regular' sized target housing

The B&A has large-target searchlights painted all black and semaphore signals (upper quadrant for the B&A, lower for the NH). The large-target searchlights should be correct for the B&A and the transition era based on the period pictures we found for the project. The small target searchlights with the galvanized masts only seem to show up on the younger pictures (perhaps 1960s onwards?)
I think I saw one of those small target searchlights *somewhere* in TSC, but I can't remember which route it might have been on. !*hp*!

Cheers,
Michael

Edit/PS: Found a good comparison. Upper shot is at Palmer in 1956, lower is 1966. They are from opposite angles but show the WB mainline signal on the B&A. Both railroads seem to have replaced their signals somewhere in between those years.
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