View allAll Photos Tagged Searchlight
One year ago today, CP 118 heads eastward passing under the Howland searchlight cantilevers on a beautiful sunny morning. It was well known by this time that this would be the last day of operations for most, if not all North Toronto searchlights (there were still questions in the air about the Bartlett ones) so myself and other rail photographers made an effort to be out trackside as much as possible and take in the final weeks / days of these classic signal structures.
For one last morning things felt normal, no excess of signal maintainers and managers around, just the usual freight trains making their way across the short but storied 6~ miles of mainline trackage across the city. Fast forward 24 hours to this image, and this set of signals as well as every other searchlight on the subdivision was cut from power and taken out of service, with subsequent demolitions of each structure and mast coming in the following days.
As I've stated before, I'm overall grateful I was able to document these spots extensively while they existed, but man does it suck that they aren't around anymore.
Thanks for reading.
04/15/2024
CP 118, CP 9768 East
Mile 3.3 CP North Toronto Sub
Still standing along the Erie Mining Company mainline is a lone searchlight signal on the approach to Murphy City, Minnesota. The signal was used for the upcoming grade crossing and maintenance section switch. It gets to enjoy the serenity of the forest.
A Mike Cleary photo from 1990 put this signal on my radar, and I decided to hike to find it while visiting nearby Finland, Minnesota.
There are scattered thunderstorms in the area as BNSF's "101" local from Chicago with BNSF GE B40-8W No. 545 races west through the now gone searchlight signals protecting the crossover in Verona, Illinois, on June 20, 2017.
UP OCJWC-26, a westbound unit dirt train, passes a set of Searchlight signals between Cima and Kelso on the Cima Subdivision. This is at milepost 246, the west end of the siding at Elora. These signals were up for replacement during this time, and had just a few months left in service.
As I skipped over to Mp163ish to grab the searchlight, the sun overhead began to transition into the cloud... of course...here RUPO has just cleared the crossing by MaineOxy in Auburn, ME and is headed West to Hacketts to tie down.
What's interesting is that in the short jaunt here, one will cross over the still intact GT tracks (Lewiston-Auburn RR?) that this train is crossing over just outside the frame. That GT line extended past the end of the current SLR branch at Safe Handling, under the MEC and across the Androscoggin river to a station in Lewiston, which to this day exists. Pretty neat if you ask me.
Passing the former Wabash searchlights at Mettler, NS 4472 leads mixed freight 19E east to Moberly, MO along the Kansas City District.
How about one more throwback from last summer for this weekend before returning to more recent programming next week? Clouds definitely got me here with the Bozeman turn, but this turned out to be the only shot of the trip of these searchlights at the west end of Craver. Sure they're probably gone by now.
86607+86639 approach Stone Road having just crossed Searchlight lane junction with 4M87 Felixstowe - Trafford Park freightliner 06/07/20.
One of my American friends described most Canadian railway scenes as "searchlights and codeline". He's not wrong. CPKC 135 with a pair of BNSF motors passes the intermediates at mile 77.4 on their way to Oak Yard in Detroit. This section between Tilbury and Ringold sidings is one of the few remaining sections of the Windsor Sub that still utilizes the codeline to supply power to the crossings and signals.
Train: CPKC 135 with BNSF 609 (C44-9W) and BNSF 8094 (ES44C4).
CPKC Windsor Subdivision
Tilbury, ON
A chilly December dawn breaks over Staffordshire and Searchlight Lane Junction just as 66415 heads north with 4M95 03:36 Southampton to Trafford Park.
11th December 2025
The sun was a struggle this day and despite spending time here for three trains I never managed that I hoped for. Regardless, this is still one of my favorite places to just relax and have a picnic while waiting for a train to photograph between the classic and unique New York Central era small target GRS type SA signals that still serve here. The set of intermediates at MP 99 on Amtrak's Hudson Line bracket Amtrak Empire Service
train 284 from Niagara Falls to Penn Station as it flies past on Main 2 behind Phase III decorated P32AC-DM 711 on a cold late winter day along the icy Hudson River.
I'm not sure when these signals were installed, and if anyone here can provide insight as to their history I'd love to learn more.
Tivoli, New York
Saturday March 1, 2025
Throwing it back to September 2016 and 22K is seen pulling out of Gardner after making a pitstop at Dunkin’ Donuts. Looming high in the background are the new signals that will replace the old searchlights at CPF 345 (still active at the time of this photo).
Signals at night have always fascinated me. I recently passed through the hometown visiting some family and had some time to do some night work. Stopped by GV and lensed this view of the 60+ year old northbound home signal on a perfectly still, slightly chilly, late summer night.
High summer at Searchlight Lane and Freightliner ‘Cans’ 86632 & 86607 power 4M87 Felixstowe - Trafford Park 'Liner' northbound.
Recently talking to a few like-minded others in the hobby, the general consensus is that there's next to nothing exciting around left to lens anymore. Digging through the archives, I came across this frame that I seriously dismissed at the time. The Ocean is a frankenstein of equipment, the searchlights have been replaced by LEDs, (where haven't they), and the F40s match and aren't back to back. VIA 15 is seen passing the west end of the once busy Oxford Jct. with a solid train of stainless, making every bit of track speed heading for points west on March 31, 2017. I never quite felt the need to post this the same day just to get that dopamine hit, and now it holds so much more worth with all the changes.
CN 591 splits the searchlights at MP 34.7 of the Kingston Sub as they head east to lift two cars at Munstor on Boxing Day. Power is IANR 3802 & GTW 6226.
CSX L305 passes under the cantilever searchlight signal bridge in Green Oak, Michigan with a pair of SD40-2's on the point.
As of recent, These old C&O era searchlights have been of high priority to me. News has broke that this whole line will have all these old veterans replaced in the upcoming year.
CN 2341 leads an eastbound stack train at Williams, Minnesota where the west side of the siding retains its searchlight signals and a dwarf searchlight. I am always pleased when I see these surviving, so this train was an opportunity to grab the head end and signals in the same frame.
most important updates are the 2 searchlights and changes in the landscape
I hope you like it
and comments and favs are much appreciated! ;)
Signal replacement on the former Montana Rail Link main line has been at a rapid pace in 2024, quickly moving to the far west end of the railroad on BNSF’s MRL Fourth Subdivision. The westbound searchlight signals protecting the west siding switch at Noxon will soon fall too, seen here with a westbound BNSF coal train passing the endangered searchlights on July 5, 2024.
After shooting the North Shore Mining Railroad's loaded northbound tailings train going away as seen in this shot: flic.kr/p/2oDUysC we hung around for the train to be emptied and return downhill. This is the only other regular train on the line and generally follows an our or so behind the road train making a cycle from Silver Bay to the massive tailings pond accessed via a wye and spur that branches off about a mile and a half north of here.
The tailings train operates with a locomotive on each end (set up for DP) bracketing a string of side dumps making it nice to shoot coming or going. This time we moved about a half mile west of 'railfan rock' for a view of them splitting the classic searchlights at about MP 5.5 with rebuilt SD40-3s NSMX 653 (built as an SD40-2 in Mar. 1979 as Union Pacific 3545) and 650 (built as a straight SD40 in Oct. 1971 as Clinchfield 3024) bracketing 30 empty cars headed down the hill.
After being shuttered for just about a year Cleveland-Cliffs just weeks ago reopened their mine at Babbitt and their taconite plant and dock at Silver Bay and their 47 mile private line haul railroad connecting the two. The non common carrier Northshore Mining Railroad as been operating since 1955 when built by the Reserve Mining Company to haul raw magnetite ore to plant which when opened was the first taconite pellet production facility in the nation.
To learn a bit more about the shut down and reopening check out these links.
railfan.com/northshore-mining-railroad-facing-shutdown/
startribune.com/northshore-mining-on-iron-range-open-agai...
Near Silver Bay
Lake County, Minnesota
Friday May 12, 2023
Searchlight signals protect Norfolk Southern's Springfield-Hannibal District at the west end of the siding at Huntington. First intstalled by Wabash in 1945, the signal system in this area remains largely unchanged as they approach their 80th birthday in a few years.
BNSF ES44C4 #6788 leads a flood detour past the 599.2 searchlights on its way south between La Junta and Trinidad on BNSF's Raton Subdivision.
With the rest of the control point being replaced today and soon, who knows how much longer this one has.
The searchlight on the Keenan Sub looking south towards the reds at N. Keenan. A little blurry but........
A Keolis extra is headed westbound on Main 1 of the modern day Keolis/MBTA Worcester Mainline with a looped set with RSTX1003 tacked on the rear. They are headed to Framingham to drop the unit on the Fourth Iron at CP23 so CSXT can deliver it to Transload X in the CP Yard on the Holliston Industrial Track where it will be getting some modifications done. The leased locomotive was dead in tow and this is a going away shot, but other than Amtrak 448 it's very rare to get a train with the power facing east here so I figured it was worthy of a couple shots.
This unit, designated an F40PH-4C was a frame up rebuild performed at MEI in St. Louis under contract by this new Boston based startup in conjunction with their partner, CAD Railway Industries of Montreal. This particular unit is ex Amtrak F40PH 411 (originally blt. Apr. 1978 as GO 511, it was purchased by Amtrak in 1990 and then later worked for the Saratoga & North Creek before going to Larry's Truck and Electric upon the bankruptcy of parent Iowa Pacific). Alas they have all been problematic and as of this writing none are in active revenue service.
The company is in the process of remanufacturing 10 units and the MBTA /Keolis have committed to lease and operate six of them initially with an option for more at a later date. You can read more at the company's site here:
www.rollingstocksolutions.com/
This is the former Boston and Albany Railroad mainline and in the background are the the ancient searchlights installed by longtime parent New York Central. Amazingly they survive here protecting CP 11, appended with doll arms for the 'c' lights added when ATC (cab signals) was finally installed between Framingham and Boston in 2020.
Weston, Massachusetts
Friday March 13, 2026
After a torrential downpour passed through the area, Q539 rolls out of the siding at Amherst with a trio of new SD40-3s leading the way into Knoxville
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CP 641 pulls ethanol tanks west past the Milwaukee Road era searchlights at Duplainville.
DME 6050
ICE 6419
ICE 6423
DME 6071
A westbound UP oil train rolls up on the east end of Thompson, the highest point on the Rio Grande between Grand Junction and Green River, after climbing a steady 1% grade all the way out of Cisco; a relay-mounted searchlight still protects the siding. In the distance are the towers and mesas near Castle Valley, the furthest landmark on the right being Castleton Tower. Just behind them are the La Sal Mountains which lie directly west of the Colorado/Utah line.
An orange GE shoves on the rear of a BNSF grain train as it races past the MRL searchlight protecting the east switch of Manhattan in the Gallatin Valley.
G KDSINB9 03M (Grain- Kimball, SD to Interbay, WA)
(DPU) BNSF ES44C4 #6692
Manhattan, MT
May 6th, 2022
Starry Night at Kilsyth. The L&N searchlights at North end of Kilsyth Siding in the gorge near LaFollete, Tn, shine red into the night after a passage of CSX Southbounder K536. Kilsyth is the crest of Duff mountain, and looks good under a sky full of stars.
A westbound auto rack train was arriving in Fort Madison for a crew change in 1995.
Only the Santa Fe could have put together such a consist-a SD45/GP60B/SF30C trio was classic '90s..
A steaming taconite train pulls off of the BNSF Casco Subdivision joining the Lakes Subdivision at Brookston where classic searchlight signals protect the movements at the junction.
On a boiling hot day, 66616 is captured at Stone Road, Searchlight Lane with 6H50 66616 1317 Willesden to Tunstead. Enjoyed the drive over with the air con knackered. 23rd June 2020.
It was really amazing how the clouds were changing shape and formation that day, sometimes allowing bursts of Sunrays to escape...
Pan Am Southern train 16R (manifest Binghamton, NY to Ayer, MA) holds the main passing under the signal bridge at CPF385 on the District 3 mainline, the one time double track Boston and Maine Fitchburg division. At right another searchlight in a single mast remains in service on the upgraded and now MassDOT owned (but still Pan Am maintained and dispatched) Conn River mainline. Note: the old B&M era wooden dispatcher phone box harkening back to a lost era long ago before radios. 16R will duck under the Conn River just ahead, cross the Deerfield River and enter the big classification yard to do their work. Once complete they will pull down to Montague for a recrew in several hours and local crew ED8 will take the train east to Gardner and Ayer.
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Friday May 7, 2021