There is a certain thrill to the railroad and all railroad doings. In 1947 the Pantagraph ran a sort of railroad photo story that explained the signals of the railroad men.
E. L. Lesher demonstrated the signals for "back out" (slapping his butt) and how to direct a train of stock to the right track.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_203ecbf021c248bbb8518923083e7b51~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_189,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_203ecbf021c248bbb8518923083e7b51~mv2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_a2f1bb863ed6488697c8b75d82205f92~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_a2f1bb863ed6488697c8b75d82205f92~mv2.jpg)
Don Bonny signals a train to "cross over" and alerts mechanics to a hot axle box (a burning smell made this signal an easy one to create).
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_893a56c01d374a6b8ea01209304d88a2~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_893a56c01d374a6b8ea01209304d88a2~mv2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_94b57ddda76a473581433e3aba7537d3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_94b57ddda76a473581433e3aba7537d3~mv2.jpg)
Elmer Sinclair directed a train to the "house track" and to "head in."
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_bdec4bc978c74f3092d4d197d951983e~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_bdec4bc978c74f3092d4d197d951983e~mv2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_93e1b561802649be8549a099ab338677~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_93e1b561802649be8549a099ab338677~mv2.jpg)
Yardmaster H.G. Setchell signaled "use track 4" and "go."
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_2936a2ae7de64a3b9feda798c703b6fb~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_2936a2ae7de64a3b9feda798c703b6fb~mv2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_835c829c76f44a00a18ecd45d969847c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_835c829c76f44a00a18ecd45d969847c~mv2.jpg)
Yardmaster signaled the best loved signal "time to eat."
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e0bd80_433c382bc1754f26a1519c4be8b6111c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_190,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/e0bd80_433c382bc1754f26a1519c4be8b6111c~mv2.jpg)
Challenge your children to say why each signal was designed the way it was!
I hope everyone on the rail yard had 20/20 vision or there was going to be confusion!!!