Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Talk about signals ranging from wigwags to EVA signals here.

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ToledoRailfan
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Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by ToledoRailfan » Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:33 pm

Sense I'm not really sure about how many public crossings that still have rotating banner signals, I've decided to make this thread. It wouldn't hurt to post ones on out of service crossings as well.
Here are two in Minneapolis.
https://www.google.com/maps/@45.0100553 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@45.0100559 ... 312!8i6656

Those are actually the only pair of rotating banner signals with the banners that are in service that I know of! Amazing that they're still there! Especially considering that they're in a big city and not on some barely used line in the middle of nowhere. I wonder if the banners still rotate? Here is a much more recent view of them.
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Here is one on a very abandon line in Manson City, Iowa.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1663181 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1663277 ... 312!8i6656

I wonder if the banner was removed before the crossing was out of service? Railroads would sometimes remove the banner on rotating banner signals because of how much maintenance they required, but they would keep the signal as it still functions just like any other signal without the banner. You can tell this line has been abandon for a very long time!

There is also a standard mast signal here, I wonder if there was originally two banner signals here but the standard mast signal replaced the other one.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1663277 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1663293 ... 312!8i6656

There use to be another pair in Manson City which made it on to the site!
This crossing is also next to an Iowa Traction Railroad crossing! That crossing also made it to the site but for some reason it is shown as being defunct.

There also use to be another pair of rotating banners in Manson City but they were replaced, they also made it to the site.
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Here is an interesting one on an out of service line in Finland, Minnesota (yes, this place was founded by Finnish settlers, the county has a significant number Finnish-Americans and it wouldn't surprise me if Finland, Minnesota has a high percentage of Finnish Americans). What is interesting about this is that only the lower portion of the signal survives. This signal is on a scenic crossing as well! :TUP1: I could get some great photographs there! When I first posted this to the forum two years ago I wasn't for sure that it was a rotating banner signal, had I first come across this signal more recently I probably would have known right away what it was. I wonder what the condition of the banner is like. When I first posted that signal, I think it was before you could view previous views of the same area, but because we can do that now, I can post streetview views of the signal when the entire signal was still intact! The other signal was also still there not that long ago!
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5075982 ... 1664?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5071079 ... 1664?hl=en

The area that this crossing is in is also currently under an Ice Storm Warning!
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Here are a pair in Cascade, Montana, these along with the ones that I posted at the top of this post are the only rotating banner signals that I know of that are still in service.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.2705284 ... 6656?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.2704374 ... 6656?hl=en
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by ToledoRailfan » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:17 pm

Here are a pair in Fort Frances, Ontario along the border.
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.6090053 ... 6656?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.6090053 ... 6656?hl=en

It appears that the first signal's banner is permanently in the same position, it looks like the other signal has had it's banner removed.

I wonder if these red rotary lights are an extra warning?

There is also an extra crossbuck at the crossing.
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by ZachL » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:47 pm

These might be as rare as wigwags, if not rarer.
Crossing pictures from Plant City, FL are finally here! viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2538
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by ToledoRailfan » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:56 pm

ZachL wrote:These might be as rare as wigwags, if not rarer.
I agree. I'd say they're a lot more rare than wigwags. I only know about three active crossings with rotating banner signals.
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by ToledoRailfan » Sat May 13, 2017 1:26 pm

Here is a pair on an out of service line in Minneapolis. Interesting how they put the exempt signs on the turning mechanism of the banner. Someone recently posted a picture of these on a group that I'm a member of, that is how I know about them.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9646095 ... 6656?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9646066 ... 6656?hl=en

The banners were removed long before the exempt signs were put in their place.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9646067 ... 1664?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.964604, ... 6656?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9646119 ... 1664?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9646111 ... 6656?hl=en
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by NathanFromEngland » Sat May 13, 2017 3:27 pm

Can defunct crossings count?
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by ToledoRailfan » Sat May 13, 2017 3:34 pm

NathanFromEngland wrote:Can defunct crossings count?

Yes, this is for all public crossings.
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by NathanFromEngland » Sun May 14, 2017 8:37 am

Here is one that is still standing on a still active BNSF line in Hibbing, Minnesota.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@47.42817 ... 56!6m1!1e1
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by ToledoRailfan » Sun May 14, 2017 11:50 am

NathanFromEngland wrote:Here is one that is still standing on a still active BNSF line in Hibbing, Minnesota.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@47.42817 ... 56!6m1!1e1
Nice find! I think I might have seen a video of them somewhere but I had no idea that they were still in service! :Blink: :TUP2: :Drool:
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Re: Locations of rotating banner signals on public crossings

Post by NathanFromEngland » Sun May 14, 2017 2:11 pm

ToledoRailfan wrote:
NathanFromEngland wrote:Here is one that is still standing on a still active BNSF line in Hibbing, Minnesota.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@47.42817 ... 56!6m1!1e1
Nice find! I think I might have seen a video of them somewhere but I had no idea that they were still in service! :Blink: :TUP2: :Drool:
Do you mean this video? I was watching it earlier today, i should've posted it in the reply i posted a few hours ago. :oops:

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