Signal 1902 and 1901

With debris clouds lingering from an earlier afternoon thunderstorm, eastward cantilever signal 1902 sits above the crossover switch at the east end of Houck. Spaced every so often, the hand-throw crossover switch allowed the dispatcher to cross a train over and run against the current of traffic while a track was out of service for maintenance or accident clean-up. Some of them were full-universals, while others were one direction only. Usually a flagman was placed at each crossover to throw the switches and give permission to pass his limits. The dispatcher would also issue a train order to run against the current. Because there are no signals against the current, freights are limited to 49 m.p.h. and passenger to 59 m.p.h. Over the years the Santa Fe had been eliminating as many crossover as they thought they can get away with. It's was to the point where only a handful remained