Date Nail - Lineman aid: brass crossarm tag for circuit ID

By Lee Brewer; posted September 13, 2014

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I have seen these, nails in with date nails, along the middle, side of crossarms on poles (B&LE RR). I have seen numerous on the same crossarm (as many as 4 or 5 to the right of the pole and to the left). Any idea as to what they are?

FINALLY I know!

Vic Wheeler answered:

"Item #2 on your "What is it list" is a circuit identification tag. Many railroads used them as a means for lineman to quickly identify which circuit they where working on during trouble calls. The nomenclature would match a set of circuit plans usually located along the right-of-way in a signal bungalow. Usually the numeric designation closely followed the mile posts along a right-of-way. If the Bessemer followed this pattern, then the tag you found would have come from a cross arm somewhere around Butler, Pa. if my memory serves me correct. That is, 354 would mean MP 35.4. Usually "N" meant the negative side of a circuit pair. If the tag came from the top cross arm the circuit was a communication circuit. If you got it from the bottom cross arm then it was a signal circuit. The Bessemer was designed with a very limited amount of line wire needed for its signal system but did have many electric locks on its system which may have involved a circuit like the tag you found. Most of the line wire strung along the B&LE system was for communication purposes and was removed from service in the early 80's."

Thanks Vic - you answered a 15 year old puzzle for me!

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