Walpar Industries

[MapsSurfer]

I've been meaning to make a post about the Cantilevers for while now.
They were a little oddity to FEC Railfans since these were the only Cantilevers of there type on the Railway, (there could've been others in the past, but this is as far as we know). These Signals were apparently made by Walpar Industries Inc, these were installed at this crossing sometime in the late 70's or the early-mid 80's.

This is the last Google Maps Capture of the Crossing. They've since been replaced.
https://www.google.com/maps/@25.8419482 ... 312!8i6656

Here is a video of the Crossing in action.


Many other Signal fans say they look a lot like older Safetran Cantilevers, which they do.
Has anybody else seen Walpar Equipment installed elsewhere? They're still in business, but I don't think they currently install Railroad Cantilevers anymore.

Here is they're website:
https://www.walpar.com/about/

[ZachL]

If you hadn't mentioned them, I would have thought that those were Safetran cantilevers!

[MapsSurfer]

If you hadn't mentioned them, I would have thought that those were Safetran cantilevers!

They do look an awful lot like 'em. Maybe they based they're design off of them, who knows!

[freebrickproductions]

If you hadn't mentioned them, I would have thought that those were Safetran cantilevers!

They do look an awful lot like 'em. Maybe they based they're design off of them, who knows!

Looks to have been their answer to Safetran's cantilever of the same design. It happens occasionally, such as the fact that both RACO and Federal Signal (and later WCH and likely Safetran as well) made extendable cantilevers.
There was also a pair of cantilevers at an abandoned crossing posted a while back that seem to have been another company's answer (I think Lincoln Industries?) to the Safetran cantilevers of a similar design. All I know is that they were somewhere in the Northeastern US in a city, and if I find it again, I can post them here.

EDIT: Just found them:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4541211 ... authuser=0
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1596&start=1760#p38178

And some Safetran cantilevers for comparison:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8180613 ... authuser=0

[MapsSurfer]

If you hadn't mentioned them, I would have thought that those were Safetran cantilevers!

They do look an awful lot like 'em. Maybe they based they're design off of them, who knows!

Looks to have been their answer to Safetran's cantilever of the same design. It happens occasionally, such as the fact that both RACO and Federal Signal (and later WCH and likely Safetran as well) made extendable cantilevers.
There was also a pair of cantilevers at an abandoned crossing posted a while back that seem to have been another company's answer (I think Lincoln Industries?) to the Safetran cantilevers of a similar design. All I know is that they were somewhere in the Northeastern US in a city, and if I find it again, I can post them here.

EDIT: Just found them:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4541211 ... authuser=0
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1596&start=1760#p38178

And some Safetran cantilevers for comparison:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8180613 ... authuser=0

Very Interesting, I swear that I've seen Cantilevers like these before! I don't know if it was in real life or somewhere on the net, but I've definetly seen that design before. I guess Safetran had everybody scrambling to make their own version of the "Extendable Cantilever"! They were quite popular after all.

[jff1999]

I have recorded a Walpar Cantilever in action in Salt Lake City!

[KCMO Railfan]

The UP Kansas Sub has a couple of Walpar Industries cantilevers. Fortunately I was able to record them in action back in 2022.

First ones I got to record in action were on 4th St in Edwardsville. Fortunately they still remain despite the city adding in a median along with removing the side street on the other side of the crossing.


Few months after recording that crossing in action, I went over to 65th St in KCK to record another pair in action.




59th Ln is another crossing that has another Walpar cantilever from the MoPac days, however the far signal's cantilever was replaced at some point with the current Harmon cantilever.


And lastly, 9th St in Edwardsville. So far that's all of the known Walpar Industries cantilevers I've recorded on the Kansas Sub.


No clue if any more exist further on the line up around Lawrence or Topeka, but I will check on Google Maps. Ik some exist in some industrial areas around Fairfax.

[freebrickproductions]

Seems down here in the southeast, the SCL was the biggest user of them, as that's where I tend to find any surviving ones. There's still a few here in Alabama, all of which I believe should be on the site now.

The ICG seems to have also used them some too, as I've seen what appears to be the occasional one crop-up on former ICG trackage.

[NAO]

This pair I’m talking about is a MoPac install. I’ve always wondered what brand they were. Now I know. Sadly, this pair of Cantilevers was replaced with a pair of ProgressRail Cantilever/Gate Combos in 2019. At least I know what brand those Cantilevers are now

[KCMO Railfan]

I believe those cantilevers that used to exist at 95th Terrace were actually made by Safetran.