CLICK HERE FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THE RATING SYSTEM.


Railroad Links:

 

Phil's Railroad Crossing Corner- A crossing signal site inspired by mine. His site has over 700 pictures at the time of update, but its expected to grow. He is also has his own wigwag signal. I've seen it, and it's pretty good, including his remake.

 

*NOW HOSTED ON MY WEBSITE!*

Trainman's Webpage- Don't confuse the website with TrainmanWP. They aren't the same people. This person lives in Canada, and is one of my regulars. He's got a little of everything, although the most signal stuff is on his Flash movies. Check out his flash movies! I can hardly wait until he makes more of them!

Ryan's Traffic Page- Not the same Ryan listed below. The site came back to life somewhat a few months ago. It got taken off due to inactivity by Yahoo Geocities. It's back online, however with no new updates. The lack of updates for since early 2002 gets this site a very firm D.

Dans Wig-Wag Survivors Site- Although I have the newer signals, wig-wags were the thing before these signals. Dan explains more in his site, why they are being replaced and where the few remain. Also mentioned here are the very rare Griswold signals. This site would get a B because he updates only once per 2-6 months, but it gets an A because there's so many pictures, and the site has been around for a long time...Even longer than my site.

FRA Office of Safety- This huge site doesn't contain signal pictures, but just about information about any crossing (90%) in the U.S. This site is the source of my accident reports, and my daily train counts. This site gets a B rating because the site does go down from time to time.

 

WARNING: The site is very, very buggy now. Part of the sites don't work, or may be unable to access.

Grade Crossing information in Ohio- A database site identical to the FRA safety link listed above. This one is a little different. You can do a search and if you're lucky, you can see photos of the crossing!

Forgotten NY Signals- If I read this correctly, I think this small signal website is run by a female railfan. There are some old pictures as well as a few 12" crossing signals. Hasn't been updated in years.

Outdoor crossing signals- Someone built an outdoor train layout and has a few signals for it. There's even a wigwag! There are also some movies to download to watch. However they have no sound. The lack of sound, and signals gets this site a firm C.

Roll Models Inc.- Very good looking scale model signals, including wigwags, Griswold type A signals, mast flashers, and gates, which have all L.E.D. lights. The Extrememly high price (from $450 for a mast flasher, to $2,750 for a gated signal) gets this site a firm B rank. I would've put this site at a C rank, but I really like these signals. Bring the price down to $100 to $1,000! $5,500 for two gated signals is way too much money!

 

Thanks to webmaster@wyandotteweather.com for sending the link into me on February 22, 2007!

Railroad Controls Limited- A link submitted to me on October 22, 2003. A pretty good site. The video section and the solutions gallery are worth viewing. They also have a database like the FRA website, but they work with them instead of going on their own.

Abandoned Texas Railroad- An interesting site showing an abandoned railroad including abandoned railroad signals on a road that doesn't exist.

Junction Valley Railroad- A hobby shop/train park located in Bridgeport, MI. Only open during the summer. Due to only one crossing having signals at this time, this page gets a B rating, and will stay at that rank, because they wouldn't run the trains and train signals for me when I went there on January 29, 2005.

Los Angeles Live Steamers- This "museum" in Los Angeles has quite a few signals. Although there is a lot more material on this website, the link above will take you to the signals themselves.

Ramada Express Hotel & Casino - Laughin, NV (Fansite)- This train circles the entire hotel 4 times per hour. It has some 8" crossing signals though that are worth a look. *WARNING: THIS IS A GEOCITIES PAGE, AND CAN GO DOWN IF LOOKED AT TOO OFTEN.*

World Railway Signals- This new website features more along the lines of railway signaling than crossing signals, however, there are some crossing signals here, and very unusual ones at that. There are colors used on these railway signals that I never knew existed, and I may try later on for my status lights. I only gave this site a C rank, because the site is on Geocities, otherwise I would've given it a B, also navigation to the crossing signals is pretty difficult. If the navigation can be fixed, then I'll upgrade the site to a B. *WARNING: THIS IS A GEOCITIES PAGE, AND CAN GO DOWN IF LOOKED AT TOO OFTEN.*

Railroad Stuff- One of the few websites out there still offering railroad crossing signals and parts for sale. A must see for any signal collector!

Trainsignals.com- One of the few companies that make scaled railroad signals for your backyard, museum, or for whatever reason you need signals for. They also make block and wigwag signals too!

Australia's Operation Lifesaver Videos- Commercials shown in Australia on how people can get killed by trains.
*WARNING: NOT FOR SENSITIVE PEOPLE.*
Canada's Operation Lifesaver Videos- Commercials shown in Canada on how people can get killed by trains.
*WARNING: NOT FOR SENSITIVE PEOPLE.*
General Signals Electronic Bell Patent- A webpage showing that starting in 1981, that electronic bells were starting to be invented. This may intregue more people involved in electronics, but I can't make this page out very well.

I Love Toy Trains- Located in New Buffalo, MI, and is the home of the "I Love Toy Trains" TV program seen on RFD-TV.

Arizona Rail Passenger Association- In December 2008, Arizona will get to experience the light rail system. This will not reach into Prescott or Flagstaff, but should be as interesting as the Blue Line in Compton, CA. This site doesn't have much news on the project, and also due to the fact that the project was pushed back 2-3 years, gets this site a firm C rank.

FROGRAIL- A list of places to go and see trains in Northern Arizona. A few include Williams, including the Garland Prairie crossing where you can see the Kingman/Seligman line divide to the Phoenix BNSF line. The lack of pictures and updates gives this site a C.

BONEHEADS 1- Stupid people who challenge to beat a train at a grade crossing. LOTS of signals are on this page. This is worth a definate check-out.

BONEHEADS 2- More of the same. Still lots of signals to see.

BONEHEADS 3- More of the same. Still lots of signals to see.

All three bonehead sites get A's because it's very cool site.

Railroad Crossing Studies of Florida- An interesting site into seeing just who will do anything at a railroad crossing. There are over 50 videos of stupid people doing stupid things at a couple of railroad crossings, but there is no sound, so that's the reason for the "B" rank.

You Know When You're A Railfan- A funny webpage talking about if you're a diehard railfan. I fall in a few categories myself, especially the grade crossing ones.

Ironwood Technologies- A weird site dealing with railroad accident re-enactments. If you click onto "Recent Cases" on the left side of the screen, you can see 8 reports of accidents, some of them so stupid, that some people shouldn't be signal maintainers. This site gets a B rank due to no pictures of signals, but is good other than that.

http://www.trainweb.org/brettrw/- Over 500 pictures of trains themselves. As of this writing, 17 signal pictures have been found.

http://www.visi.com/~jones/layout.html- A good train layout with some real good looking signals. Kind of looks like the NJ International type only painted white instead of black.

http://www.railpictures.net- A big railroad picture site with over 203,000 photos. Not all of them are signal pictures, but this quite a high number of them on there, including the in-famous 12 tracks photo.
I dropped this site from an A down to a B, because gtw4070 has tried sending in some pictures, and almost have been rejected, due to some dumb reason. They're being real jerks about cropping, and brightness issues, so BEWARE!!!

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net- A huge site with over 1,000,000 pictures online covering all of the lower 48 united states. Unfortunately, there aren't many signals on the site though. The high amount of pictures, despite not enough signals gets this page a very firm A rank.

www.michiganrailroads.com- Another big site with lots of pictures. Not too many crossings though... Because of that, the link gets a B rank.

http://photos.nerail.org- A link sent into me by andrewp52000@yahoo.com showing a lot of train pictures, including a lot of signals in the Northeast part of the U.S.

http://www.alabamarailfan.com- I really enjoyed looking at these signals. Quite a few of these have no gates, which are my favorites. There aren't many signal pictures on this website.

Signalogic Systems - One of the best designs of HO sized railroad signals in the world. Location is in Canada. I would give this site a B, due to the VERY high prices this person wants, but I gave it an A, because they look soooo good.

Railroad Signs- A good site showcasing crossbuck, railroad crossing warning signs, as well as street names. You can get signs for O, G, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 scale. They do look pretty professional, and do offer rare black crossbucks. I almost gave this site an A, but the lack of HO and N scale signs brought this down to a B.
(BTW: If you want HO and N scale signs, go to my Signs part of the site to make your own.)

Custom Signals- A pretty good maker of block and crossing signals for O scale. They even have cantilevers, and even some older looking cantilevers. These look like these are very high quality. They don't sell gates unfortunately. This link takes you right to the signals instead of the homepage.
They still sell crossing signals, but they don't show pictures anymore. That reason drops this link from a B to a C.

Berkshire Junction- A website that sells crossing signals as well as telephone poles. They even have Z scaled lighted signals! The lack of 50 pictures would get this site a B, but because it's so cool, it gets an A rating.

Railroad Crossing History- A page from Union Pacific Railroad that has a bit of a history of how crossing signals were invented and a idea of how they work. Wigwags and flashing signals are covered. This page gets a firm B rating.

Railroad Artwork Page of Trains and related subjects- A site for railroad clip-art. The lack of signal artwork gets this link a C.

Railroad Signal Webring- A webring created October 24, 2001. This link takes you right to the ring hub. Not many signal sites in this webring only gives this site a "C" rank.


Railroad Signal Manufacturers:

 

Western Cullen Hayes- Been around since 1855. They make 8" lights, and even 8" L.E.D. lights! They also make L.E.D. gate lights as well! Their electronic bells aren't that good, especially the first type, but their mechanical bells make up for it. Formerly called Western Railroad Supply (WRRS) which made mini-mechanical bells. Created the first model 10 crossing gate on June 26, 1936.
A very top-notch signal company. One of my favorite signal companies out in Today's market.

Safetran- Been around since the 1920s. Makes a bunch of stuff, from crossing signals to color light signals. They do make 8" lights, but not L.E.D. lights. They do not make 7" gate lights anymore, unfortunately.

 

Due to the fact that too many of their best signal bells have been discontinued (to my knowledge), and no mention of the type 3 on their website, This site gets a "C" rank, but this is just for lights and bells. Most of their other equipment seems quite flawless, including their cantilevers and their 12"x24" lights.

 

If I learn that the bells have NOT been discontinued, then the rank will rise to either an A or B.

Union Switch & Signal- Been around since 1881. Makes lots of stuff. Unfortunately, they don't make 8" signals anymore, and they don't talk to railfans. They did make the teardrop bell however. I personally wouldn't choose this company, just because they sell too many modern items. I've been told their customer service is a bit better than Safetran, so I brought the link up from a C to a B.

General Signals- How long they've been around is unknown. They make a lot of signal products, including crossbucks, gates, retractable gate mechanisms, electronic bells, and even traffic light lenses! Their electronic bells are very popular with BNSF, and CSX just to name a couple.
The reason for the B rank is because they don't make mechanical bells anymore. They do continue to make 8" lights and 8" L.E.D. lights though. They also do reply to railfans, although they don't release a lot of information.

G.E./Harmon- Been around since 1880. They make locomotives, such as the Dash 9, but they don't make much signal parts. The only parts I know that exist are 12" L.E.D. lights, but that's about it. Modern Industries was bought by Harmon.

Alstom/Aurora- Been around since 1904. Makes colorlight and searchlight signals, as well as 8" and 12" L.E.D. and L.E.D. gate lights. I've seen their Aurora gate lights popping up all over Arizona. This company used to be known as General Railway Signals (GRS) in the past. It's unknown if they make crossing signals themselves anymore. I was unable to tell from their website.
Rated a "B" because one L.E.D. light costs $404. Their gate lights cost $259-$300 for three.

LEDTronics- A website that sells 8" and 12" L.E.D. crossing signal lights. The price of $275 is steep for just one light though. The steep price of the lights gets this page a B rating.

Fabricated Metals- A signal manufacturer found by csx7001@hotmail.com. They sell cantilevers, mechanical, and electronic bells, mast signals, 8" and 12" lights with L.E.D. This site gets gets a high "B" rank until more information can be obtained on this manufacturer, such as more bell information, and such.
Safe-Crossings- A crossing gate manufacturer found by TrainmanWP@aol.com. They sell crossing gates that extend as they lower. At the upward position, the gate is 20 feet long, but when it lowers, it can go out as far as 50 feet! I'd like to see some of these gates start appearing soon.

Lincolin Industries- A division of Progress Rail Services found by Senko LKE. There's a lot of signal stuff, that's being used by them for a lot of new signal installations. They do make ball L.E.D. lights in 1/4 sections in case part of the light fails.

The site gets a "B" rank because they don't make 8" lights and bells. They do make gated and non gated signals!

RECO- Makers of crossing gates, crossing gate guards, and 4" gate lights seen all across the U.S. They do NOT make 7" gate lights though.

Reported to me by TrainmanWP@aol.com, who heard from Elton801@aol.com.


Non-Railroad Links:

 

Signalfan's Club- A group started a couple of years ago for showing the unusual traffic lights and some railroad crossing signals. Now, over 1,000 photos later, it's one of the biggest traffic light sites on the web. Although there are not too many crossing photos on here (and some pictures hosted on here are on that group), this site gets an A.
NOTE: You need an MSN passport to sign up for access. They won't let you just get in with a little knock on the door. You have to be invited in. Usually almost anyone gets in anyways, and usually takes about 24 hours or less to get approved.

Arizona Roads- Click here for the history of Arizona Roads and highways. Some features include: History of roads since the early 1900's, extinct roads, funny and unusual signs. This person rarely updates, so I decided to change the link from a B to a C.

Highway Route Markers- Kind of like the Alphabetical sign link below, but this site shows route markers from all over the world. This site gets a "C" because the website hasn't been updated with anything new for a long time.

The Great International Highway Makeover- Don't like the current colors/shapes of state and Interstate highways? This page shows what people would design for their state or states. The lack of updates gives this site a C.

Alphabetical Index Of Signs- A huge list of road signs you find while driving around. Some are signs only used in Arizona and California. I've changed this site to a "D", because he's sticking some disclaimers on his site, and won't give out clean road sign images. Expect cleaner signs on my site whenever things slow down on my site.

Road Sign Math- A website sent to me by the Administrator of Road Sign Math. Kind of a weird website about how to get mileage markers to come out equal. Kind of fun for a brain teaser for those long car rides.

School Bus Galleries- Josh Baumann from the Texas signals has once again built another website. This site is on school buses and different types of buses used all around the U.S.

Radio Margaritaville- This website has Jimmy Buffett music that you can listen to as well as many more things to explore, and for the record, yes I'm a parrothead, and have been a parrothead all my life.

NWS Flagstaff: Check here for my latest weather. Click on Prescott for my latest weather.

Prescott News: Check here for the latest news around my area. Most news around here is junk, so that's why this newspaper site gets a C.

digits.com- The provider of my counter on my homepage. Lack of choosing the counter you want, and scrunching numbers when over 10,000 hits gives this site a B.