Refurbished Railroad Signal on Saucon Rail Trail

January 2017

The refurbishing and restoration of the color light railroad signal located along the Saucon Rail Trail in Hellertown Borough is almost complete!

The signal, which was manufactured by the General Railway Signal Company, was installed by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad between 1910-20. It served as a northbound signal to alert engineers about the main track conditions and the upcoming siding which may have diverted trains to the former Thomas Iron Works site or to the Hellertown Rail Station that was located near Depot Street.

Volunteers from the Saucon Rail Trail Oversight Commission disassembled and removed the individual parts of the signal. Each part was photographed, measured, and analyzed to determine if it could be refurbished or needed to be replaced. This information was shared with experts who provided advice and direction on the fabrication, sanding and repainting of the signal equipment.

Before: 
railroad-signal-2      railroad-signal-1 

After:

             Signal pole complete-ground view-11-1-16

 

This project would not have been possible without the countless hours provided by the volunteers and municipalities, especially:

  • Upper Saucon Township for providing missing parts from their Public Works scrap yard
  • Hellertown Public Works for their equipment, tools and work hours
  • Hellertown Historical Society who provided their barn facilities where all the disassembly, storage and assembly took place

Along with the generous donations from our supporters:

  • Timothy & Pamela Enot
  • Mr. & Mrs. Clemmer
  • Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Butrie
  • Edward & Elizabeth Gallagher
  • Bruce & Jan McIntosh
  • Saucon Valley Bikes, Steve LaBrake
  • HCM Foundation
  • Gerald & Joanne Holum
  • Robert Sterling
  • Bruce Swan

Additionally, we would like to thank the following business that donated materials or services for the project:

  • Sherwin-Williams Paint Store, Route 378
  • Saucon True Value Hardware, Hellertown
  • Hill Metal Co., Allentown

And thank you to the 4 individuals that took the project from concept to completion:
Steve LaBrake, Peter Jarrett, Mike Jarrett and Roger Jurczak