Can you ask railroads if you can take abandoned equipment?

[threepea11]

There are a lot of abandoned signals in LA, is it’s okay to ask a railroad if you can take some parts of a railroad signal? I would never take something without permission, but if you ask the railroad, is it possible they would say yes?

[Nascar Fan007]

There are a lot of abandoned signals in LA, is it’s okay to ask a railroad if you can take some parts of a railroad signal? I would never take something without permission, but if you ask the railroad, is it possible they would say yes?

Sometimes railroads would say no whenever a railfan asks them if they can have parts of a crossing signal. From my experience as one day when UP was out replacing the gates at Sterling Ave on the Sedalia Sub, I asked one of the workers if I can have the old gate with the gate lights on it. The worker told me no as well as the fact that they have the tendency to reuse parts at times. The gate lights were older Electro-Tech gate lights that were originally installed back in 2011. It never hurts to ask them for signal parts though.

[threepea11]

Ah ok ig that makes sense thx

[freebrickproductions]

Yea, always ask for permission. The worst they can usually say is "no".
(In fact, the MI bell I own I got from the NYSW for free after asking the maintainers' manager if I could have it.)

[threepea11]

I hope someone responds but I have a question, what if you go into the offices of a yard (that is accessible) and ask the workers if there are any signal parts that they're not gonna use anymore and/or throw away in the trash?

[Nascar Fan007]

I hope someone responds but I have a question, what if you go into the offices of a yard (that is accessible) and ask the workers if there are any signal parts that they're not gonna use anymore and/or throw away in the trash?

You could ask the workers in the yard, but like what Freebrickproductions said, the worst thing a railroad worker would say to you is "no".

[AndyWS]

I still have one of the pairs of side lights from the taller signal at this crossing, since I happened to come by by chance as they were being replaced. The worker wanted a little money for them (he said they would normally re-use as many parts as possible and scrap the rest) but it was actually less than I paid for the set of four Griswold Type B lights I'd bought at a flea market about a month earlier.

I got the two pairs of sidelights (he wouldn't sell the main sets of four lights since he said he needed the parts). Sold one on Ebay in 2010, the other along with the Griswold lights are still in the basement at my parents' house since unfortunately going on 14 years later I still don't have a house of my own with a place to display them.

At some point (probably after 2015, but before 2019 according to Street View), those entire signals were finally replaced. There are gates and dual e-bells there now.