Equipment Information

Many railroads had “flag stop” stations, known as such because trains would normally pass those stations and would only stop if they were “flagged down” by passengers. It was common for these stations to have a formal signal that could be activated by a waiting passenger to notify oncoming trains to stop. This semaphore is an example; it was used by the Chicago Aurora & Elgin interurban line, and passengers waiting at the 17th Avenue station in Maywood, Illinois, could pull a rope to set the semaphore to signal a train to stop. The signal is complete and restored but is currently in storage.

Manufacturer: unknown
Style: Manual Semaphore
Configuration: Single head
Railroad: Chicago Aurora & Elgin
Original Location: 17th Avenue, Maywood, Illinois
Condition: Complete / restored / not operational (in storage)