grs - history

A CentennialHistory of Signaling Inc.

(Formerly General Railway Signal Company)

1904 – 2004

ALSTOM Signaling Inc. Pamplet #1364 – Revision: June 20042

Administration and Engineering Office, Brighton, NY (1993-2003).

Main Office and Manufacturing Facilities of the General Railway Signal Company, Rochester, NY (1902-1992).

Manufacturing and Office Facility, West Henrietta,NY (1993-Present).


PREFACE

This book was originally compiled in 1954 as part of General Railway Signal's 50th Year Commemoration.Although not published until later, has often been read by new employees to enhance their understanding of theCompany and its valuable contributions to the art of railway signaling. In 1979, the book was updated in recogni-tion of the Company's 75th Anniversary. In 2004, the book was again updated in recognition of the Company's100th Anniversary.

The past presidents of the General Railway Signal Company and its successor companies, SASIB/GRS andALSTOM Signaling Inc., are as follows:

1904-1934 Wilmer W. Salmon 1995-1995 James B. Stokes1934-1951 Paul Renshaw 1996-1997 Mario Mastroni1951-1955 Herbert W. Chamberlain 1997-1998 William Darling1955-1958 Arthur E. Heimbach 1998-1999 John Penny1958-1965 Percy W. Smith 1999-2000 Bruce E. Alspach1965-1968 Jack K. Records 2000-2001 Frederic Dyevre1968-1989 Gerald E. Collins 2001-2004 Stephane Navarra1989-1995 Stuart A. Brown 2004-Present Ulisses Camilo


CONTENTSPage

CORPORATE HISTORY SUMMARY (1889-2004) 5

INTRODUCTION 6

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEMS – The Early Years 7Mechanical Interlocking 7Low-Pressure Pneumatic Interlocking 8Electric Interlocking 9The Men Who Started It All 12

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEMS – The Advancement years 15Block Signaling 15Centralized Traffic Control 17All-Relay Interlocking 18The Man Who Extended and Automated Signal Control 18Processor Based Interlocking 19Automatic Train Control 21Car Classification 22Rapid Transit Signaling 23Rail-Highway Grade Crossings 24Personal Rapid Transit 25Industrial Railway Systems 25

THE CORE TRAIN CONTROL PRODUCTS FOR A CENTURY 26Switch Machines 26Signals 29Relays 33

FEDERAL SIGNAL COMPANY 35

DIVERSIFIED ACTIVITIES 35World War I 35Commercial Castings 37G-R-S Products, Inc. 37Prison Cell Door Locks 38Air Traffic Control 38World War II 39Vehicle Traffic Control 39

OTHER DIVERSIFICATIONS 40

FOREIGN BUSINESS 41

INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE 42


CORPORATE HISTORY SUMMARY (1889-2004)

ALSTOM SIGNALING INC.(Formerly GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL CORPORATION)

INTERNATIONAL PNEUMATICRAILWAY SIGNAL CO.Rochester, New York

Incorporated March 1900

AUTO-PNEUMATICRAILWAY SIGNAL CO.Rochester, New York

Established about 1891

AMERICAN RAILWAY SIGNAL CO.

Cleveland, OhioEstablished in 1904

Combined with Federal,1913

FEDERALRAILWAY SIGNAL CO.

Troy, New YorkEstablished in 1905

TAYLOR SWITCH& SIGNAL CO.

Chillicothe, OhioEstablished about 1889

STANDARDRAILROAD SIGNAL CO.

Arlington, New JerseyEstablished in 1896

Moved to Troy, New York in 1899

TAYLOR-SARGENTSIGNAL CO.

Chillicothe, OhioEstablished about 1898

PNEUMATICRAILWAY SIGNAL CO.Rochester, New York

Incorporated June 1897

TAYLOR SIGNAL CO.Buffalo, New York

Incorporated May 1900

FEDERAL SIGNAL CO.Albany, New York

Incorporated February 1908Combined with GRS November

1923

PNEUMATIC SIGNAL CO.Rochester, New York

Incorporated February 1902

GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL CO.Rochester, New York

Incorporated June 13, 1904

GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL CORP.Rochester, New York

Incorporated October 5, 1990

ALSTOM SIGNALING INC.(Formerly General

Railway Signal Corp.)Rochester, New York

June 1998


INTRODUCTION

This history of ALSTOM Signaling Inc. (formerly GeneralRailway Signal Company (GRS)) records the events andaccomplishments of a successful organization throughoutthe years of ever-changing conditions in industrialAmerica, throughout wars and panics, good times andbad.

Like every progressive business organization, ALSTOMSignaling Inc. is concerned more with what lies aheadthan with the past achievements. But those, whose job itis to build for the future must also fully appraise pastperformances, must profit by the successes and analyzethe failures of those who have brought the signaling artto its present high stage of development.

In 1830, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, in the UnitedStates, and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, inEngland, began business as common carriers. Fromthese beginnings there has developed one of thegreatest industries in the world - rail transportation.

A survey of railway development in the United Statesshows that although railroad construction receivedstrong impetus from the start, the most rapid extension oftrack mileage was during the 65-year period from 1865to 1930. In 1930, the mileage of track owned reacheda peak of 410,634 miles. At the end of 1969, it wasreduced to 339,000 miles although operating efficiency,as expressed in net ton-miles per freight train-hour,quadrupled during this 39-year period.

Railroading in the 1970’s saw rapid changes resultingfrom a wave of bankruptcies and mergers, particularlyin the East and Midwest. Out of the insolvency of thegiant Penn Central and several smaller eastern lines,emerged the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) forfreight traffic and the National Railway PassengerCorporation (Amtrak) for passenger service. Thesechanges spurred the abandonment of poor revenuetrackage and increased operating efficiency until, by1976, there were 324,000 miles of track and net ton-miles had increased 12 percent over 1969.

The Staggers Act of 1980 deregulated the railroadindustry to a significant extent, replacing the regulatorystructure that existed since the 1887 Interstate Com-merce Act. Railroads were permitted to determine wherethey ran trains and how much to charge. This actprovided the basis for the railroads to once againbecome competitive and market driven. While trackmiles have continued to decrease to 152,000 in 2003,ton-miles have increased by 180% from 1980 to 2003.

Two salient facts have brought about this increase inefficiency in spite of a decrease in track mileage:

Fact 1: To move a 100 percent increase in traffic with adecrease in track mileage has meant moving heaviertrains faster. This has been accomplished by betterequipment, by heavier motive power (especially thediesel-electric locomotive), by improved roadbed, bygrade reduction, and by the aid of modern signalingsystems such as centralized traffic control (cTc).

Fact 2: Although signaling was introduced to Americanrailroads as early as 1857, no extensive installationswere made until after the year 1900. Railroadmanagement recognized the value of signaling inexpediting traffic.

Pneumatic Railway Signal Comany, 1902, a predecessor ofGeneral Railway Signal Company.

In 1825, train protection was provided by a mounted flagman.


RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEMS –The early years

The main purpose of any railroad is to transport passen-gers and goods swiftly, safely, and economically. Theaim of railway signaling systems is to provide safety andefficiency for rail transportation. Safety to persons,goods, and equipment - efficiency to keep trains movingwith a minimum of delays and with the most effectiveuse of personnel and equipment.

The railway signaling systems and apparatus manufac-tured by GRS provide for safe and efficient rail transpor-tation. Following is a brief history of the company as itparallels signaling development.

MECHANICAL INTERLOCKINGMechanical interlocking uses manpower to move thelarge levers in the interlocking machine which, in turn,operate switches and signals through pipe connectionsor, in early days, wire pulls.

Mechanical interlocking was first installed in England, in1843, at Bricklayer's Arms Junction. The first mechanicalinterlocking was installed in America in 1870 at Tren-ton, New Jersey. The first one made in America wasmanufactured by Messrs, Toucey and Buchanan. It wasinstalled at Spuyten Duyvil, New York, in 1874.

The Standard Railroad Signal Company of Arlington,New Jersey, was organized in 1896 by participants ina former company, the Johnson Railroad Signal Com-pany of Rahway, New Jersey. The Standard RailroadSignal Company offered railroads the Johnson type ofmechanical interlocking. When the Company waspurchased by A.H. Renshaw (Trojan Car Coupler Co. ofTroy) and J.T. Cade, a plant was established at Troy(Green Island), New York, in 1899. It manufacturedmechanical interlocking machines of the Saxby andFarmer type. Sales offices were maintained in New Yorkand Chicago. In 1900, Standard, a predecessor ofGRS, marketed the Style A interlocker, an improvedmechanical machine.

A Stock Certificate from Standard Signal Company.

Mechanical interlocking required strong arms and astout back to operate the signal appliances.

GRS mechanical interlocking assembly department in 1910.


Pneumatic Railway Signal low pressure pneumatic interlocker installedin 1900 at Jamaica, NY on the Long Island Railroad.

The pneumatic interlocking installed in 1900 at Wayne Jct., PArequired thousands of feet of underground pipe.

LOW-PRESSURE PNEUMATICINTERLOCKING

In an effort to overcome the limitations of mechanicalinterlocking, Dr. J.H. McCartney of Rochester, NewYork, substituted pneumatic pressure for muscle power inhis system of low-pressure pneumatic switches andsignals, patented in 1890. Dr. McCartney and associ-ates formed the Auto-Pneumatic Railway Signal Com-pany in Rochester, New York. The Company pointed outin their "Interlocking Switch and Signal Plant" referencecatalog of 1894, that their system "embodied certaintyof action, simplicity of operation and construction and,finally, low cost operation and maintenance" — require-ments still fundamental in modern railway signaling.

In June of 1897, the Auto-Pneumatic Railway SignalCompany sold its patent rights and property to thePneumatic Railway Signal Company of Rochester, NewYork (formed by J.N. Beckley). The first contract madeby the new Company was with the New York Centraland Hudson River Railroad for a low-pressure pneumaticinterlocking plant at the Exchange Street Station inBuffalo, New York. This was put in service in January of1898. In 1900, the company provided a low-pressurepneumatic interlocking at Grand Central Terminal inNew York City.

In July of 1898, Pneumatic contracted to have theStandard Railway Signal Company of Troy, New York,manufacture signal equipment for them and makeinstallations of pneumatic systems in North and SouthAmerica and Cuba.

In 1900, the Pneumatic Railway Signal Companyexpanded its sales territory to include outlets in Englandby forming the International Pneumatic Railway SignalCompany with headquarters in Rochester.

To increase their efficiency, the Pneumatic RailwaySignal Company, the International Pneumatic RailwaySignal Company, and the Standard Signal Company ofTroy were reorganized on February 27, 1902 to formthe Pneumatic Signal Company. The Troy plant wasmaintained for the manufacture of mechanical interlock-ing apparatus. A new plant was constructed in 1902 onWest Avenue in Rochester.

A low-pressure pneumatic interlocker as shown in an1894 catalog of the Auto-Pneumatic Railway Signal Co.


ELECTRIC INTERLOCKING

The all-electric interlocking employing dynamic indicationwas invented by John D. Taylor of Chillicothe, Ohio. In theBaltimore and Ohio Southwestern Railroad shops, Mr.Taylor constructed the first interlocking machine andapparatus installed by the Taylor Switch & SignalCompany, in 1889, at East Norwood Ohio, at thecrossing of the B&O Southwestern and the CincinnatiNorthern Railroads. This was the first installation wheretrack switches were moved by electric power. The originalinterlocking plant was removed in 1904 and replaced bya new model electric interlocking machine manufacturedby GRS.

After making only one other installation, at Edgewood,Illinois, on the Illinois Central Railroad, in 1896, thecompany reorganized as the Taylor-Sargent SignalCompany in 1898 at Chillicothe, Ohio. The new companymade three installations: New Albany, Indiana, in 1898,on the Baltimore & Ohio; Brussels, Belgium, for theContinental Hall Signal Company, in 1898; andNortonville, Kentucky, on the Illinois Central, in 1899.

In May 1900, the Taylor Signal Company was organizedby Alvah W. Hall, formerly of the Hall Signal Company,by acquiring the properties of the Taylor-Sargent SignalCompany. The Taylor Signal Company started in a two-story factory in Buffalo, New York, with offices in that cityand in Chicago. The first Taylor electric interlocking wasinstalled in 1901 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on the Chi-cago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway. Aftermaking a number of electric interlocking installations ofthe new and improved design, the Taylor Company built anew plant at Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo on the New YorkCentral Belt Line. As the Taylor interlocking was the onlyall-electric system in existence, and as it offered unusualsafety and facility in train operation, installations both inthis country and Europe followed rapidly. Notable USinstallations include those at LaSalle Street Terminal and at16th and Clark Streets, Chicago; at South Englewood,Chicago; and at Omaha, Nebraska.

The first dynamic indication electric interlocking machine was made in1889 by John D. Taylor in this carpenter shop in Chilicothe, Ohio.

First Taylor Signal Co. electric interlocker was installed at Eau Claire,Wisconsin in 1901 with Model 2 Electric Semaphore signals.

Model 2 Electric Switch Machine at Eau Claire, Wisconsin.


Quoting from an article entitled "Big Merger of SignalPlants," appearing in the Buffalo Express of May 4,1904: "Authoritative announcement was made yester-day that Buffalo is to be made the headquarters of thebig $5,000,000 General Railway Signal Companywhich is to be organized with the merging of the TaylorSignal Company of Buffalo and the Pneumatic SignalCompany of Rochester.... Yesterday afternoon a party ofRochester capitalists, including some of the officials ofthe Pneumatic Signal Company of that city, came toBuffalo to inspect the plant of the Taylor Signal Com-pany. They made the trip to this city in the private car ofJohn N. Beckley, President of the Toronto, Hamilton andBuffalo Railway Company. Mr. Beckley is also presidentof the Pneumatic Signal Company…… Upon reachingthis city, President Beckley's car was switched to the BeltLine tracks and taken out to the plant of the Taylor SignalCompany. There the Rochester men were met by a largenumber of Buffalonians……… Both the Buffalo andRochester men were delighted with the Taylor SignalCompany's plant. It was built a little over two years ago,is absolutely fireproof in construction, is operatedentirely by electricity and its equipment is perfect inevery respect….. Both companies manufacture interlock-ing switch and signal devices for railroads, and it isunderstood that after the merger has been perfected, theBuffalo plant will manufacture the electric system exclu-sively while all mechanical and low-pressure forms ofsignals will be turned out at the Rochester plant.

'The merging of the two companies, of course, isexpected to result in material economy in the engineer-ing, experimental, advertising and sales departments aswell as in manufacture.'

The General Railway Signal Company wasofficially incorporated under the laws of theState of New York on June 13, 1904. The Taylorplant in Buffalo was named the General Railway SignalCompany, while the plant in Rochester retained thename of the Pneumatic Signal Company, although apart of the corporation.

The chief business of the new company was in themanufacture of electric interlocking systems. The systemproved so far superior to existing forms of powerinterlocking that the company soon decided to abandonmanufacture of the outmoded pneumatic system.

In May of 1907, after enlarging the Rochester plant, allmanufacturing operations were moved to Rochester.Work no longer needed to be transferred from one plantto another, thus greatly reducing confusion, which arosefrom the shipment of orders in two parts from twodifferent factories.

A stock certificate from Taylor Signal Company.

In 1904, this GRS electric interlocker was installed atEast Norwood, Ohio, on the B&O Southwestern R.R.

to replace the original 1889 Taylor machine.


The first Taylor Signal Company plant in 1900 at Wells and Carrol Streets, Buffalo, NY.

General Railway Signal Company plant on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, NY in 1906.


THE MEN WHO STARTED IT ALL

In 1904, as a result of the various mergers that led tothe formation of General Railway Signal, the companywas able to offer complete product lines for three basicinterlocking technologies – mechanical, pneumatic andelectric. It was, however, their innovation, design anddevelopment in the electric interlocking technology thatpropelled the company into the forefront of signalingcompanies.

John D. Taylor - the InventorThe Signal Engineer for January 1, 1914 carried anobituary for John D. Taylor (1861-1913) entitled ‘ATribute to the Man Whose Monument Is the ElectricInterlocking System’. Mr. Taylor "began his inventingcareer in 1888 when he was a telegraph operator onthe Scioto Valley Railroad at a small town in Ohio.Having obtained a number of patents on electricaldevices to be used in train despatching, he set out …..that the principles of his scheme might be used insignaling…… John graduated from Piketon high schoolwhen he was about 17, and he never had the advan-tages of a college education……. He was a naturalmathematician and inventor and his love of booksoccupied a large part of his life. His studies in highermathematics, thermodynamics, chemistry, and electricitybrought him recognition as an authority in thosebranches of science…..His education was self secured."

Wilmer W. Salmon –the LeaderWilmer W. Salmon(1866-1936) becamePresident and GeneralManager of TaylorSignal Company inBuffalo, NY in 1901, aposition he maintainedwith the formation ofGeneral Railway SignalCo. in 1904 until hisdeath in 1936. Agraduate of DickinsonCollege with bothBachelor’s (1886) andMaster’s (1890) De-grees, Mr. Salmonbegan his career in1886 in the engineer-ing corps of the Pennsyl-

vania Railroad, with additional career moves to thePhiladelphia and Reading Railroad in 1887, and to theChicago & Northwestern Railway in 1890. In 1893 hejoined the Hall Signal company as an engineer andsuccessively moved into sales manager and Europeanrepresentative and vice-president.

His February 1, 1936 obituary in Railway Age stated"he was sent to Europe to interest foreign railways insignaling systems and during his stay abroad he de-signed and was responsible for the first subway signalsystem ever put in service, which system is today inoperation on the Metropolitan (Underground) Railway ofParis. He also installed the first automatic block signalsystem in Europe on the Paris, Lyons, & Mediterraneanrailway of France, and made several similar installationson the Belgian railways."

The same article also stated "Mr. Salmon combined in aremarkable degree the qualities of an engineer withthose of a successful business executive. He was notonly responsible for the creation and growth of GeneralRailway Signal Company but he was the guiding spiritin the development of electric interlocking so widelyused throughout the country....…. Many of the detaildevices and other products which the General RailwaySignal Company now markets are due to his knowledgeof railway problems - the fruit of life experience – whichenabled him to visualize in advance the operatingbenefits which would accrue to the railroads from theseinventions. Mr Salmon’s skill as a business executivewas manifest by the manner in which he guided hiscompany through the difficult years of the depression."

John D. Taylor, inventor of the all-electric interlocking.


Winthrop K. Howe - the EngineerWinthrop K. Howe (1868-1954) was an 1889 gradu-ate of Purdue University with a degree in mechanicalengineering and stayed on to pursue a year’s worth ofgraduate work in electrical engineering. Mr. Howeentered the signaling business in 1900 when he took aposition at Taylor Signal Company in Buffalo, NY as aprincipal assistant engineer in charge of the electricaldepartment under John D. Taylor.

The Signal Engineer for December 15, 1913 includedan article entitled ‘A Personal Tribute to the Steinmetz ofRailway Signaling – A Real Gentleman.’ This articledescribed Howe as "Between the theorists who figurethings out that ought to be done and the individuals whoderive pleasure or profit from them after they are done,stand the men who do them - the men who reducetheories to practice. Winthrop Keith Howe is such aman….. He has done some notable things in the thirteenyears he has been connected with signaling. Forexample, he designed the Model "2-A" signal mecha-nism – the "A.1" proposition that put the "A’s" inadaptability – and the Model "4" switch machine, oneof the foremost devices of its kind. He was the first tosuggest and produce a highpower light signal for use oninterurban railways; and he is responsible for many ofthe developments in alternating current signaling forelectric lines, and for a good many improvements inelectric interlocking. He designed the well known"polyphase" relay, the lock-and-block apparatus and anumber of other devices which his company manufac-tures. He is the originator of the one-power alternating-current system of supply and distribution for signalsystems now so largely used, and in which not only thetrack circuits but all of the signals, relays, lamps,indicators, etc., as well, are operated by alternatingcurrent taken from the same transmission line."

Mr. Howe quickly rose to the position of Chief Engineerof Taylor Signal in Buffalo and remained in that positionwith the formation of General Railway Signal in 1904.He maintained the position of Chief Engineer until hisappointment to Vice President in charge of engineeringin 1943. Mr. Howe retired from GRS in 1945 havingbeen awarded 191 patents during his long and distin-guished career.

A December 15, 1913 article in The Signal Engineerhighlighted the successful teamwork of Messr’s Salmonand Howe when it stated "And it is safe to say thatSalmon, whose genius formed the company, and the restof that earnest, loyal and hardworking bunch who madeit successful, are all mighty glad they know Howe andthat Howe knows how. If Salmon put the "general" inGeneral Railway Signal, Howe put the "signal" in it….."

Winthrop K. Howe, Chief Engineer of Taylor Signal (1900-1904)and General Railway Signal Company (1904-1945).

A stock certificate from General Railway Signal Company.


Pneumatic Signal Company plant on West Avenue in Rochester, NY shortly after the formation of the General Railway Signal Company.

With the expansion of the Rochester plant in 1907, all operations were consolidated on West Avenue.


RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEMS –The advancement years

BLOCK SIGNALING

Concurrent with the development of the interlocking arethe crude beginnings of block signaling systems. The firstblock signal system was installed in America betweenNew Castle, Delaware, and Frenchtown, Maryland, onthe New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad, in 1832.Indications were provided by ball signals spaced 3miles apart and read by means of a telescope at eachblock office.

Perhaps the most important page in the history ofrailway signaling was the invention of the closed trackcircuit by Dr. William Robinson in 1872. This trackcircuit made automatic block signaling possible and isthe foundation of modern signal systems.

The advent of electric railways presented a signalengineering problem because the rails had to be usedboth for track circuits and for return of the propulsioncurrent. The Young System patents, purchased by thePneumatic Signal Company in 1903, covered a systemproviding continuous a-c track circuits for electrifiedlines.

During the early part of the century, GRS developedseveral types of block signals: the Model 3 two position,lower-quadrant motor semaphore, installed on the UnionPacific in 1906; the Model 6 a-c lower-quadrantsemaphore and Model 7 d-c semaphore in 1906; andthe Model 2A upper-quadrant semaphore in 1908which became an industry standard. This signal was firstinstalled on the Baltimore & Ohio and over the next 10years 24,500 Model 2A semaphore signals wereinstalled making it one of the most successful signaldesigns of the century.

In 1910, considerable interest developed in signalingfor high-speed, single-track electric lines of the trolleytype. Many state governments, as well as railroadofficials, instigated studies into the possibilities ofadequate signaling for these rapidly expanding ser-vices. Up to this time, such railways had in generaleither not regarded signaling as a necessity, or believedthat some form of contact device actuated by the trolleywould suffice for signal control. GRS automatic blocksystems proved very effective and were applied to manymiles of trolley lines soon after this time.

GRS invented Absolute Permissive Block (APB) signaling,making the first installation on the Toronto, Hamilton andBuffalo Railway in 1911. This was the first system toprovide complete siding-to-siding protection for oppos-ing movements and signal-to-signal protection forfollowing movements, the same as on double track. Allthe basic principles of the original GRS APB system arein use today. In fact, absolute permissive block signalingis a basic part of centralized traffic control.

In 1832, ball signals like this one were observed throughtelescopes from distant block offices.

GENRAKODE is one of the latest vital processor based wireless blocksignal and track circuit products from GRS.


An “ironless bond”, part of the Young system of a-c block signaling.

A “meet” on the world’s first APB installation in 1911 on the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway.


CENTRALIZED TRAFFIC CONTROL

On July 25, 1927, the first centralized traffic controlsystem in the world went in service between Stanley andBerwick, Ohio, on the Ohio Division of the New YorkCentral Railroad. This system, invented by Sedgwick N.Wight of GRS, was a tremendous stride forward inimproving facility and economy of train operation.

Here is a first-hand account of operation with the newsystem as given in an address by Mr. J.J. Brinkworth ofthe New York Central Railroad before the Signal Sectionof the Association of American Railroads in 1947. "…I was particularly involved in centralized traffic control in1927…. I went to Rochester, to the GeneralRailway Signal Company plant, and saw the actualmachine there. I, of course, became aquainted with Mr.S.N. Wight of that Company, who studied out thedetails of the cTc machine. I went to his house and in theback room we talked it over in detail for hours."

"Then we came to 1927, when the final date was set toinstall centralized traffic control on the Toledo & OhioCentral and put it into service. Needless to say, we wereall over at Fostoria, Ohio, and we watched the progressof the various signals being put in along the approxi-mately 40 miles of railroad between Toledo andBerwick. Then, after a comparatively short time, trainsstarted to move over that piece of single track for thefirst time without train orders".

"I recall very distinctly, as we had supper in the hotel atFostoria and got through, I said to the gang, I do notknow what you fellows are going to do tonight, but I'mgoing over to the tower at Fostoria and stay there until Isee a non-stop meet.' Well, they all decided that if theboss was going over, the rest of the gang had better go,too. So we went over to the tower at Fostoria in theevening. The dispatcher was there and he was just filledup with enthusiasm on this new gadget called central-ized traffic control. Along about 10:00 o'clock, he justyelled right out loud, 'Here comes a non-stop meet.’Well, we all gathered around the machine and watchedthe lights that you know all about, watched the lightscome towards each other and pass each other withoutstopping."

"That, to me, and to you, too, was history on Americanrailroads, the first non-stop meet on single track withouttrain orders, of course, that we knew of. We waited atFostoria until the southbound train arrived there and younever saw such enthusiasm in your life as was in theminds and hearts of that crew, the first non-stop meet ofwhich they had ever heard."

Today, instead of manually operated lever-type controlmachines, GRS provides minicomputer-and microproces-sor-based control consoles which enable one man toefficiently control an entire railroad.

With the invention of cTc, the non-stop meet became a reality.

Today’s computerized cTc system has a control console withcolor-video displays of track and traffic conditions and a

keyboard to enter commands to the computer.

This machine, at Fostoria, Ohio, on the New York Central, controlledthe world’s first cTc – Stanley to Berwick. The machine is now in the

Smithsonian Institute’s collection.

Thus occurred the first non-stop meet, todaycommonplace on thousands of miles of cTc.


ALL-RELAY INTERLOCKING

The invention of an all-relay interlocking was an out-growth of the principles applied successfully in central-ized traffic control. Now the cumbersome lever lockingbeds of the electric interlocking machine were aban-doned in favor of relay interlocking between theswitches and signals in the field. Control distanceceased to be an important factor.

GRS furnished equipment for the first remotely con-trolled, unit-wire all-relay interlocking system, put inservice February 1929, on the Chicago, Burlington andQuincy at Lincoln, Nebraska.

The first installation of an all-relay interlocking withpushbutton automatic selection of routes and positioningof switches and signals, the GRS Type NX (eNtrance-eXit), was made at Brunswick, England, on the CheshireLines in February of 1937. The first NX route-typeinterlocking in the United States was installed at GirardJunction, Ohio, on the New York Central in 1937.

THE MAN WHOEXTENDED ANDAUTOMATEDSIGNAL CONTROL

Sedgwick N. Wight(1879-1968) joinedGeneral Railway SignalCompany in 1910 as anassistant commercialengineer. He received aBS Degree from HiramCollege in Ohio in 1903and started as a drafts-man for the signaling

department of the Lake Shore & Michican Southern(New York Central) in Cleveland Ohio, and laterbecame a signal inspector.

The May, 1910 issue of Signal Engineer announcedWight’s move from the railroad to GRS andprophesized the future when it stated as to his being ‘inclose and intimate touch with the executive and techni-cal phases of signal construction work; and he madeexcellent use of his opportunities. His associates and allwho knew him cannot but feel that General RailwaySignal Company is pursuing the right policy in securingmen of Mr. Wight’s character and ability.’ Wight’sGRS inventions included Automatic Permissive BlockSignaling (1911), Centralized Traffic Control (1927)and eNtrance-eXit (NX) push button interlocking control(1937). Mr. Wight received patents for these and otherinventions, ultimately receiving 92 patents in his longcareer at GRS.

In 1971, the Elmer A. Sperry Award was posthumouslyawarded to Mr. Wight (in memoriam) for recognition of"a distinguished engineering contribution which,through application in actual service, has advanced theart of transportation whether by land, sea, or air." Theaward cited Mr. Wight "for his foresight and ingenuityin the planning and execution of the first practicalinstallation of Centralized Traffic Control on a railway.This first installation gained worldwide acclaim." Theaward committee said, "Mr. Wight's concept of de-centralizing the safety features while centralizing thecontrol facilities ushered in a new era of safe andefficient train operation."

Heralding the approach of the pushbutton age, this GRS NXinterlocking machine (the world’s first) was placed in

service in 1937 at Brunswick, England.

The first NX machine in the US was placed in service later in1937 on the New York Central at Girad Junction, Ohio.


PROCESSOR BASED INTERLOCKING

Shortly after the invention of microprocessors in the early1970’s, GRS Research Engineers began investigatingmethods and techniques to harness this new technologyfor the vital fail-safe control of interlocking equipment. In1975, they began developing a series of hardware andsoftware techniques that permitted a single microproces-sor to operate in a vital fail-safe system. This series oftechniques was trademarked as GRS Safety AssuranceLogic (SAL™). The first commercial product releasedusing SAL techniques on a microprocessor merged witha vital relay was the MICROCHRON ® Timer in 1981.This vital timer was a direct replacement for a family ofvital motor timers and was switch settable in one secondincrements from one second to one hour. This producthas been enormously successful with more than 10,000units shipped since its introduction.

GRS Research Engineers continued to build upon theconcepts of SAL. In 1978, they brainstormed an ap-proach to expanding these techniques into a generalpurpose application programmable interlocking controlproduct. Utilizing mathematical principles from commu-nication security and from cryptographic technologies,the engineers extended the SAL techniques to an en-hanced set of techniques referred to as NumericallyIntegrated Safety Assurance Logic (NISAL ™). Thesetechniques became the backbone of a major newproduct line known as the Vital Processor Interlocking(VPI ®) Control System. After extensive prototype testingat several North American and European test sites, thefirst in-revenue service installation of this product oc-curred in January, 1986 at the Clinton Interlocking plantin Chicago, Illinois on a Chicago & NorthwesternRailway’s freight and commuter rail line into the North-western Terminal.

In 1913, a brand new Grand Central Terminal in NewYork City opened for service utilizing the latest in state-of-the-art electric interlocking equipment from GRS. Thislargest of North American passenger terminals utilizedthis equipment until 1993 when the latest state-of-the-artprocessor based central control systems teamed with ageographically distributed system of 17 VPI InterlockingControl systems were placed in service as part of amajor terminal refurbishment project. This terminalconsists of 211 switches, 189 signals, and 295 trackcircuits and sees in excess of 700 electrified commutertrains per day, primarily during four hours of rush hourservice.

VPI Systems have evolved in ability and sophistication.VPI systems may be configured and application pro-grammed from a simple vital fail-safe interlocking controlto a highly sophisticated, fully automatic driver-less

transit application with VPI in control of both the inter-locking and the block-line functions. A single VPI systemcan be configured to control a simple remote holdingsignal or a single turn-out control point or up to a largeinterlocking of some 25-30 switch machines and relatedsignals. Larger interlocking plants can be configuredwith a distributed arrangement of VPI systems.

As the company reaches the century mark, ALSTOMSignaling, Inc. (formerly General Railway SignalCompany) has manufactured and deployed more than1000 VPI systems for 54 different customers in 15countries. These systems have accumulated more than55,000,000 operating hours without a singlereported safety incident.

400 lever GRS electric interlocking machine was placed in service in1913 at Tower “A” in Grand Central terminal, NYC, NY.

400 lever interlocking machine for Grand Central terminalon GRS factory floor in 1912.


1912 GRS advertisment for the Grand Centralterminal interlocking.

1912 GRS advertisment for 400 lever and 360 lever interlockingmachines for Grand Central Terminal on GRS factory floor.

In 1993, 17 distributed VPI systems replaced the original 1913 GRSinterlocking control machines in Grand Central Terminal.

1993 GRS central control console for Grand Central Terminal.


GRS intermittent inductive train control was testedon the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway in 1919.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL

It is doubtful if any technology ever received as muchattention as automatic train control. Thousands ofpatents were issued, millions of dollars spent in experi-mentation, and yet only a few systems have survived thetests of practical use.

A trial installation of GRS intermittent inductive train stopwas made on the Buffalo, Rochester and PittsburghRailway in 1919. By 1923, the first commercial installa-tion was made on the Chicago and North WesternRailway. Many installations were made in the ensuingyears.

In 1953, GRS made the first commercial use of transis-tors in the railroading industry with the installation of acab signal system on the New York, New Haven andHartford Railroad.

In 1973, GRS supplied automatic train control equip-ment using cab signals for Amtrak locomotives operatingon several mid western railroads.

Building upon the techniques and principles of SafetyAssurance Logic, in 1988, GRS installed the first MicroCABMATIC™ Automatic Train Control system, a vitalmicroprocessor based system. This product isconfigurable from a basic Automatic Train Protectionsystem up to a completely automatic driver-less system.The system has been deployed in both railroad andtransit applications.

AMTRAK locomotives operating on certain mid-western railroadshave automatic train control systems supplied by GRS.

GRS installed the first Micro CABMATIC™

Automatic Train Control system in 1988.


CAR CLASSIFICATION

GRS led the field with the first commercial installation ofall-electric car retarders, in 1926, at East St. Louis onthe Illinois Central Railroad.

The next significant development in car classificationwas the GRS invention of the automatic switchingsystem in 1950. The initial installations of this systemwere made at Markham Yard, Illinois, on the IllinoisCentral Railroad, and at St. Luc Yard, Montreal, on theCanadian Pacific, both in 1950.

In 1953, another GRS invention, automatic retardercontrol using a GRS analog computer, was installed atKirk Yard, Gary, Indiana, on the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern.This system utilized the latest techniques of ultrahighfrequency radiation (radar) for speed measurements.

In 1968, GRS made the first commercial installation of adigital computer in a car classification yard - the AlfredE. Perlman Yard at Selkirk, New York, on the New YorkCentral Railroad.

In 1980 GRS introduced a distributed mini-computerand micro-computer system (YARDS 2000 ™) for thecontrol of car classification yards which continually fine-tune yard operations by compensating for such condi-tions as track curvatures, wear, and settling.

The 1980’s and 1990’s witnessed a dramatic change inthe style of North American railroading from loose cartraffic to unit trains and inter-modal trains, all of whichdramatically reduced the need for car classificationyards. GRS exited from this market in the early 1990’s.

GRS’s computerized, fully automatic system is in control at HinkleYard, Hermison, Oregon, on the Union Pacific Railroad.

A GRS CLASSMATIC™ Analog Computer used in 1950’sand early 1960’s Yard Automation Projects.

GRS made the world’s first installation of electric car retarders of EastSt. Louis in the Illinois Central in 1926.


RAPID TRANSIT SIGNALING

Since its incorporation, GRS has furnished equipment forrapid transit (subway) lines both in the United States andoverseas. This equipment has included: automatic blocksignals, wayside trip stops, wayside signals, all-relayand NX interlockings, coded remote control, high-frequency track circuits, cab signals, automatic traindispatching and train identity, and fully automatic trainoperation.

In New York City, the first subway installation was madeon the Interborough Rapid Transit Lines in 1904. Manyinstallations have been made in the intervening years onthese and other lines in the metropolitan area. On theexpress tracks of the subways, signal systems make itpossible to maintain headways as close as 90 seconds.

Starting in 1924, the company signaled subway systemsin three cities in Spain. In 1927, subway signaling wasplaced in service on a new subway in Rochester, NewYork.

In 1965, GRS installed the world's first high-frequency,electronic track circuits on the Chicago TransitAuthority's Lake Street Line. This was the first majorimprovement in track circuit technology since theoriginal closed track circuit was invented by Dr.Robinson in 1872.

In recent years, extensive installations of GRS equipmenthave been installed on the rapid transit lines world-wide.Installations include Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleve-land, Philadelphia, New York City, Toronto, Washing-ton, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Taipei, Taegu,Seoul, and Shanghai.

The rapid increase in the use of automobiles in the USduring the 1920’s began the demise of most trolley carsystems in the country. The 1980’s and 1990’s saw a re-birth of this style of transit system under the guise of LightRail Transit (LRT) systems in a number of cities. Using amixture of traditional signaling products integrated witha number of new products, ALSTOM Signaling Inc. hasparticipated in a number of these new projects.

GRS automatic trip stops were installed in1904 on a New York City subway.

The Rochester, New York subway was equipped withGRS automatic block signal system in 1927.

In 1976, the first section of the Washington Metro was equippedwith a GRS fully automatic train control system which permitstrains to operate up to 70 mph with 90-second headways.

A modern dayLight Rail Project,Hiawatha Metro Transit(2004).


RAIL-HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSINGS

GRS introduced its first highway crossing gate in 1905utilizing a semaphore signal motor as the drive mecha-nism. Over the years, the company continued to improveits gate operating mechanism, right up to the Type Dgate mechanism.

GRS began the serious development of rail-highwaygrade crossing warning systems in the early 1920’s.This coincided with the rapid increase in automobileproduction and the beginning of a national highwaysystem. Prior to that time, there was a variety of warningsignals, typified by the wigwag and banner types.

In 1977, GRS introduced the vandal and impactresistant LEX-C™ flashing light signal made ofpolycarbonate resin, which was provided in both8" and 12" sizes.

With the advances in opto-electronics in the 1990’s,GRS introduced the AURORA™ product line of LightEmitting Diode assemblies for both crossing signal andgate arm lights in 1997.

GRS automatic rail-highway crossing with Type D Gate Mechanism.

Early Highway Crossing Signal using aModel 2A Semaphore mechanism (1910).

AURORA LED Crossing Signal and Gate Arm Lights (1997).


PERSONAL RAPID TRANSIT

Starting in 1970, GRS began the development of apersonal rapid transit system (people mover). Thissystem was designed to transport people to points in alimited area, such as central business districts, airports,and college campuses.

In one outstanding project, GRS provided the automaticcontrol system for the Airtrans vehicles operating at theDallas/ Fort Worth Regional Airport. The fully automaticsystem includes vehicle protection, automatic operationover predetermined routes, scheduled operation, andautomatic vehicle merging.

One of the AIRTRANS vehicles at the Dallas/Ft.Worth Airport whichtransports passengers between terminals in 1973.

Personal Rapid Transit demonstration at TRANSPO ‘72 atWashington’s Dulles Airport; utilized a GRS vital minicomputer

control with a moving block system.

INDUSTRIAL RAILWAY SYSTEMS

For many years, GRS supplied systems and equipmentto mining and industrial railways. In 1962, GRS devel-oped and installed a control system for the world's firstfully automated, driver-less trains on the Carol MineRailway in Labrador.

In 1963, GRS introduced a radio remote control system,which enabled a locomotive engineer to control his trainfrom the ground and at distances up to one-half mile.More than 257 units were installed on 13 industrialrailroads, 33 units in eight car classification yards, and1 unit on a mainline railroad. When the market for thisstyle equipment became stagnant in the mid-1980’s GRSexited this market.

GRS radio remote control enables the operatorto control his train from the ground.

GRS automation system has provided crewlesstrain operation in Labrador since 1962.


THE CORE TRAIN CONTROLPRODUCTS FOR A CENTURY

During the one hundred and fifteen years since John D.Taylor created and installed the first all-electric interlock-ing at East Norwood, Ohio in 1889 on the Baltimoreand Ohio Southwestern Railroad, GRS and its predeces-sor and successor companies have produced families ofswitch machines, signals and relays to meet the needs ofthe railroad and transit properties served and to maxi-mize the advantages of technological innovations asthey became available. These devices have been animportant element of all the train control systems devel-oped during this first century and have all progressedthrough many improvements and renditions.

SWITCH MACHINES

The 1889 East Norwood, Ohio installation is the firstknown use of an electric motor performing the move-ment of track switch points.

The Model 2 Switch Machine was introduced in 1900by Taylor Signal Co. and featured integrated throw andlocking functions. W.K. Howe who joined Taylor in late1900 designed a higher power motor (Model 3 motor)for this mechanism in 1902.

The Model 4, 4A & 4B Switch machines designed byHowe were a lower profile machine integrating theswitch circuit controller (point detection) , throw andlocking functions and was initially released by GRS in1910. This machine has been the basis for most of theswitch machine designs for the next ninety years.

The Model 9B Switch Lock introduced before 1916evolved from the earlier Model 9A Switch Lock releasedin 1911 and its predecessor, Model 1 Switch Lockinitially released in 1905 by GRS.

The Model 10 Handthrow Lock initially released forproduction in 1943 remains the standard on RR proper-ties to this day.

The Model 7J and 7K Switch circuit controllers were firstreleased for production in 1927 and still remain thestandard for railroad and transit customers today.Earlier notable products are Model 3 Form D and Model5 Form A switch circuit controller released in 1911.

The Model 5 Switch machine designed specifically forthe NYC subway system was released in 1914 andremains the NYCT standard to this day.

The Model 9 Hand Throw machine with Lock andDetection functions was initially released in 1945, andalso adapted as a Spring Switch Lock when used withthe ‘Mechanical Switchman’.

The Models 5E (initially released in 1958), 5F ,5Gand 5H evolved from earlier models 5A (initiallyreleased in 1919), 5B, 5C, 5D to provide theinterlocking functionally required by North Americanrailroads and have maintained themselves asindustry standards for decades.

The Model 6 Switch Machine, specifically designed as afast acting trailable machine for use in classificationyards, was initially released in 1926 and is still anindustry standard today.

The SpeedFrater is a compact trailable machinedesigned for use in place of hand throw switch standsand for use in classification yards and was initiallyreleased in 1968. The SpeedFrater superceded the‘Electric Switchman’ trailable and non-trailable machinesreleased in the early1960’s.

The Models 55 E and G, initially released in 1964,were designed specifically for rapid transit servicefeaturing a low profile and weighing approximately500 pounds making installation easier than that of therailroad standard machines. GEC/GS, a forerunner ofALSTOM in the United Kingdom, was licensed tomanufacture this design in the early 1970’s in the UKand Australia. This machine known as the model HWbecame an industry railway standard in these countries.

The most recent development in switch machine technol-ogy has been the Grandmaster line of machines initiallyreleased in 1997, featuring a universal power-brushlessmotor, a restorable or non-restorable latch-out mecha-nism, split link cam bar, and a footprint supporting easychange out in existing layouts of both the GRS andUnion Switch & Signal (US&S) switch machine types.These features were included to satisfy the currentrequirements of rail and transit customers. Most recentlythe Grandmaster has been further updated for improvedperformance, robustness and reliability and will serveALSTOM Signaling Inc. as the flagship of its switchmachine line, promising a continuation of its reputationas a leading Railway Signaling technology innovator.


Model 2 Switch Machine (ca.1900).

Model 6 Yard Switch Machine (1926).

Model 4 Switch Machine (1907).

Model 5 Switch Machine (1914).

Model 55 Switch Machine (1964). Model 5F Switch Machine (1958).


Spring Switch Machine (1945).

Speed-Frater™ Yard Switch Machine (1968).

GM4000™ Switch Machine (1997).


SIGNALS

The 1889 East Norwood interlocking plant also usedelectric motor driven semaphore signals designed byTaylor. The Model 2 Semaphore was a much improveddesign by Taylor and appeared in the late 1890’s.W.K.Howe redesigned the semaphore signal which wasknown as the Model 2A and that was released in 1908and became an industry standard. Over 24,500Model 2A Semaphore units were produced in thefirst ten years of production.

Listed below is a summary of many popular modelsof signals released since the founding of the company in1904.

• Type D- Color Light Signals (Vertical) released for production in 1912.

• Type E- Color Light Signals (Horizontal) released for production in 1923.

• Type G – Color Light Signal (Triangular) released for production before 1925.

• Type FA – Color Light Dwarf signals released for production before 1925.

• Type SA Searchlight Signals released for production in 1927 remain a popular signal to this day. Over 70,000 searchlight signal units have been produced to date and shipped world-wide.

• Type P – Color Light Signal, a front to back two position unit was introduced in1925.

• Highway Crossing Signals XA, XB, XC, and XD were introduced in the 1930’s and 40’s.

• Type W – Color Light Signals were introduced before 1941.

• Type AT – Color Light Signals introduced in 1931 remain the standard for tunnel signals to this day.

• Type AW – Color Light Signals introduced in 1934 remain the standard for wayside transit signal to this day.

• Types MD & ME Color Light Dwarf Signals were introduced in 1930.

• Types U Color Light High Signals introduced before 1937.

• Types V and VA Dwarf Color Light Signals were introduced before 1937.

Model 2 Electric Semaphore Signal (ca. 1900).

With the advances in opto-electronics, GRS released theAurora Highway Crossing Signals in 1997. LEDtechnology is quickly becoming the standard in ColorLight Signaling featuring improved visibility and systemreliability.

With ALSTOM Signaling Inc. beginning a new century,a newer Line of Color Light Signals utilizing state of artLED Technology is now a key component in the latestsignal product offerings.


Model 2A ElectricSemaphore Signal (1908).

Type SA Searchlight Signal (1927).Type D Color Light Signal (1912).

Type V Color Position Light Signal (1937).


Model 2A Dwarf Signal with Rotating Disc for C&NW (1910).

Model 2 Dwarf Signal with Semaphore Arm (1901).

Type ME Dwarf Signal (1930).

Type MD Dwarf Signal (1930).


Type D LED Signal (1997).

Type G Color Light Signal (1925).


Taylor Track Relay (ca.1900).

RELAYS

Early relays were essentially extensions of telegrapherrelays adapted for the rail industry. The 1889 EastNorwood plant used a relay to drive a Switch Machineand a motor driven semaphore signal designed byTaylor. It is assumed that this relay was a forerunner ofthe Taylor Signal Model 1 relay. The ensuing centurysaw a vast multitude of relay designs to meet the manyspecial requirements of the rail and transit industry. Asummary of some of the early popular relays and someof the current products are listed below along with keyproduct release dates.

• Model 1 DC Track Relay available in coil resistances from 4 to 1000 ohms was introduced before the formation of GRS in 1904. One of the earliest drawings in the GRS records is of the Relay Complete, dated November of 1900.

• The Model 2A relay was a popular polyphase rotor type AC track relay used on electrified rail and introduced before 1905.

• Model 3, a popular single phase rotor type AC track relay used on electrified rail and the Model Z rotor type AC or DC Line Relay were introduced after 1910.

• AC Vane Relays Type C single element were introduced after 1920. Double Element AC Vane Relays Type N and Type L were introduced after 1930. Today’s Type B2 AC Vane Relay was first introduced in early 1937 and has remained an industry standard for electrified track.

• The Type K shelf mount DC Relay was first introduced in 1926 and remained popular until the late 1970’s. The Type W shelf mount AC Relay was first introduced in 1926. The Model 9 was the forerunner of the Type K design and was introduced about 1908.

• The Type B1 and B2 relays are plugboard mountable relays designed to satisfying the full spectrum of rail and transit signaling requirements, were initially introduced in 1935. These relays have remained the industry standard for relay signaling to this day, with over 2 million sold.

• The Type J Relay Non-vital relay was introduced in1961 and the JT Non-Vital relay was introduced in 1964.

Model 2 Polyphase Relay (ca. 1905).

Model 2 A.C. Relay (ca. 1906).


Model 9 Shelf Relay (1908).

Model 9 Wall Relay (1908).

Type K Size 4 Biased Neutral Relay (1926).

Type B Size 1 Neutral Relay (1936).

Type J Non-Vital Relay (1961).

• The MICROCHRON Vital Timer Relay, introduced in 1981, is a blend of a traditional B1 vital relay design with a vital microprocessor timer function to produce a single design in a B2 package that replaces many earlier versions of electromechanical vital timer relays.

ALSTOM continues to perfect its electro-mechanical relayproduct line satisfying the industry needs for vital andhighly reliable electrical switch gear.

MICROCHRON® Vital Timer Relay (1981).


FEDERAL SIGNAL COMPANY

In 1905, the Federal Railway Signal Company wasorganized in Troy, New York, by former employees ofthe Standard Signal Company (A.H. Renshaw and J.T.Cade). Standard had been consolidated with thePneumatic Signal Company, Rochester, in 1902.

Three years later, on February 1, 1908, the FederalRailway Signal Company was reorganized under thename of the Federal Signal Company. This companywas located in Albany, New York. In 1913, Federaltook over the American Signal Company, which hadbeen started in 1904 in Cleveland, Ohio.

On November 1, 1923, the business and properties ofthe Federal Signal Company were purchased by GRS.At the time of the merger, GRS was doing approximately30% of the total signaling business in the United States,and the Federal Company about 14%. The consolida-tion permitted increased production with greatereconomy, both companies having heretofore maintainedpractically duplicate engineering, manufacturing andsales organizations, having sales offices in New YorkCity, Chicago and other points.

Federal Signal Company electric interlocking machineinstalled at Utica, New York, on the New York Central Railroad

in the early 1920’s.

DIVERSIFIED ACTIVITIES

During several periods since 1904, GRS has turned to thedevelopment and manufacture of products other thansignaling equipment for railroad and rapid transitcustomers. The following paragraphs briefly describethese ventures.

During 1915 and 1916, GRS manufactured smallgasoline engines for Cyclemotor Corporation of Rochester,New York. The single cylinder air-cooled engines got upto 100 miles to a gallon and, together with their rearwheel belt transmission drive system, weighed only 21pounds. They provided a top speed of 25 mph on a levelroad.

WORLD WAR I

Before the declaration of war by the United States on April6, 1917, the J.P. Morgan & Company of New York City,acting as agents for the British Government, placed anorder with GRS for artillery shells amounting to about$7,000,000. This was, at the time, the largest singleorder ever secured by a Rochester corporation. This eventwas directly responsible for increasing GRS stock by 33points in a two-week period.

To manufacture the 9.2 inch shells GRS had to constructnew manufacturing facilities. A contract was made withthe John W. Cowper Company of Buffalo to construct anew building in 60 days, with a substantial bonuspromised for each dayunder this limit. The building wascompleted in 43 days, creating a new record for theconstruction of such structures in Rochester.

Rough forgings of the artillery shells, weighing about 300pounds, were furnished by the Bethlehem Steel Company.These went through 15 operations in the GRS plant, withfinal inspection by representatives of the BritishGovernment.

A total of 80,000 shells were completed on schedule byMarch 31, 1917. A souvenir shell was presented to theRochester Historical Society in 1919.


Construction of this building at the West Avenue facility,for the manufacture of shells, started in November and

completed on December 24, 1915.

GRS manufactured 80,000 9.2-inch artillery shellsfor Great Britain in World War I.

A cyclist with a Cyclemotor passing aPark & Trolley in Rochester, New York.

The Cyclemotor as applied to an ordinary diamond-frame bicycle.


COMMERCIAL CASTINGS

Left crippled by government intervention during WorldWar I, the railroads were financially unable to resumetheir signaling improvement programs for some time. Tokeep its skilled forces available, GRS turned to theproduction of castings for commercial purposes and themanufacture of major household appliances.

Quoting from an article in the Rochester Democrat andChronicle, dated June 13, 1920: "The magnitude of thebusiness of the Signal Company impresses the visitor atthe Lincoln Park Works. He finds that a large number ofthe leading industries of this city and country are itscustomers and that it is an important cog in their manu-facturing wheels. It is plating parts of one of thecountry's most luxurious automobiles (the Cunningham).Castings of aluminium, brass, iron, and other metals aremade by it in raw and finished form for industriesrequiring the finest of work...."

"..... The industries dependent upon the Signal Com-pany for manufacture of parts are clamoring for in-creased output and the company finds itself unable totake all the orders which come to it."

The foundry was expanded at this time to handle theincreased tonnage of commercial castings. Among otherimprovements, a large electric steel furnace was in-stalled. The foundry was completely renovated in 1959.

GRS PRODUCTS, INC.

In 1920, G-R-S Products, Incorporated, was formed as asubsidiary of GRS to manufacture and sell electricalclothes washing machines. After only three months ofproduction, the output on washers reached what was atthat time a remarkable output of 30 per day. Reportsfrom dealers indicated that the washers were highlyregarded by their owners.

In 1922, the subsidiary company placed an electricdishwasher on the market. "Banished is the dish cloth,vanished are the reddened and roughened hands," wasthe sales slogan.

GRS felt at the time that by thus diversifying its products,the volume of business would in the future show lessviolent fluctuation, thus enabling the company to main-tain an organization and employ facilities on a moreeconomical basis than in the past.

Following the acquisition of the Federal Signal Companyby GRS in 1923, the manufacture of non-signalingdevices, the clothes and dishwasher, was transferred tothe former Federal plant at Albany, New York.

By 1925, with a general upswing in business and GRSstock taking a jump from $100 per share to $400 pershare, the production of household appliances wentinto full swing, and national distribution was beingconsidered.

By 1926, the tide had turned, and it was felt necessaryto direct the company's efforts toward its rapidly grow-ing signal business. As a result, G-R-S Products, Inc.,was liquidated. Concentrating on the signal business,the year 1926 showed the highest net income in thecompany's history, reaching almost four million dollars.

The GRS Clothes Washer – Good Reliable Servant.

GRS Dishwasher.


PRISON CELL DOOR LOCKS

In 1940, GRS developed, in cooperation with theFederal Bureau of Prisons, a control system for prisoncell door locks. This system provided for the locking,unlocking, opening, and closing of cell doors as well asfor indicating the positions of the doors.

During 1941, three installations were made: FederalPrison, Alcatraz, California, and penitentiaries atLewisburg, Pennsylvania, and Petersburg, Virginia.

Control Panel (below) and prison cell door lock (above)installed at Alcatraz in 1941.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

In 1941, GRS engineers directed their attention toapplying the basic principles of safety engineering to airtraffic control. As a result, a GRS approach controlsystem was installed in 1945 at LaGuardia Airport inNew York. In the early 1950's the company furnishedseveral airports with a system which provides jointaltitude control of airway traffic control over a "fix," orintersection, in the air.

Air Traffic Control MasterControl Station in Rochester(below), typical ATC BlockStation in Albion NY (right),ATC aircraft antennainstallations (above) in 1948.


WORLD WAR II

For more than 5 years prior to the Pearl Harbor attack,GRS had been designated by the Ordnance Departmentto manufacture 105 mm, M1 shells for the military in theevent of an emergency. In February of 1940, the firstcontract was awarded for the machining of 1,250,000shells.

By purchasing additional plant facilities, the companywas able to increase output by 200% after productionhad started in 1941. This new plant was the first in thecountry to be completely power- conveyorized from rawforgings to the painted shell. The top productionreached 500,000 shells per month in June 1942. TheOrdnance Department stated in 1945 that thecompany's shell plant was generally considered to beone of the most efficient in the country. This was in largepart due to the new manufacturing processes developedby GRS engineers.

The company received a contract from the Air Corps, in1942, for the production of remotely controlled turretsystems for B-29 long-range bombers. By August of1945, when the contract was terminated, the totalproduction was 2100 completed sets of this ingeniousand complex equipment.

Country’s first completely power-conveyorized systemspeeds assembly of 105-mm shells in World War II.

Remote control turrets for B29 bomberswere made by GRS during World War II.

VEHICLE TRAFFIC CONTROL

In the late 1950's, GRS started the development ofsystems for the detection and surveillance of vehiculartraffic. In 1959, the company introduced the firstultrasonic detector for highway traffic signal control. Thedetection element, commonly referred to as "greenturtle," was suspended over the roadway in advance ofa traffic signal; the electronic portion of the system washoused in an aluminium case mounted on the detectormast near the ground.

Subsequent developments by 1964 led to the installationof ultrasonic detectors used for traffic surveillance on theEisenhower Expressway in Chicago, the John LodgeExpressway in Detroit, and the New Jersey Turnpike.GRS also supplied systems for parking garages, whichused ultrasonic detectors for check-in, check-out pur-poses.

In 1966, GRS supplied a computer-controlled trafficsignal system to the City of Buffalo to improve trafficflow on Main Street.

With strong competition from long-established suppliersof vehicle traffic control devices, GRS withdrew from thefield in the middle 1970’s.

Typical ultrasonic detector installation on an urban street.


Surveillance control center, John Lodge Expressway, Detroit.

OTHER DIVERSIFICATIONS

In the early 1980's, GRS embarked on a program ofdiversification and expansion primarily into the alliedtransit bus industry under the direction of its newlyformed Business Development Division. Through acquisi-tions of Chicago-area companies, GRS supplied buscontrol systems, public address and related radio andelectronic products (Midwest Electronic Industries), anda complete line of fare collection systems (GeneralFarebox Incorporated). This division became an inde-pendent division of General Signal in the late 1980’s.

In addition, the company purchased Electric PanelboardCompany of Rochester, a speciality designer andmanufacturer of custom-fabricated process controlpanels and consoles, sheet-metal cabinets, power-distribution equipment, and other sheet-metal and wiringfabrications. The wholly owned subsidiary was a majorsupplier of GRS control system consoles and waysideelectronic equipment housings. Electric PanelboardCompany was absorbed into GRS in the early 1990’s.

This GRS electric interlocking machine wassupplied to the Barcelona Metro in 1924.


FOREIGN BUSINESS

GRS systems and equipment are in service in almostevery country in the world in which railroads exist.

United KingdomThe International Pneumatic Railway Signal Company ofRochester, formed in 1900 by the Pneumatic RailwaySignal Company, furnished signal equipment throughmanufacturing connections in the United Kingdom. In1901, through the Continental Hall Signal Company, anelectric interlocking machine was supplied in Luxem-bourg at Petange on the Chemins de Fer and MinieresPrince Henri.

In 1916, GRS supplied the first electric interlocking inEngland, which was installed at Victoria Station, Lon-don, on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. Theoriginal control machine for this installation went downwith the sinking of the RMS LUSITANIA in1915. In1926, Metropolitan Vickers-GRS (MV-GRS), Limited, wasformed in the United Kingdom, closely followed by RailBrakes, Limited, for the manufacture of signaling equip-ment to GRS specifications and designs. The world's firstNX (eNtrance-eXit) pushbutton interlocking, a GRSdevelopment, was installed at Brunswick, England, in1937. The first NX interlocking in South Africa wasinstalled in Johannesburg on the South African Railwaysand Harbors in 1939. In 1942, MV-GRS and RailBrakes became subsidiaries of Metropolitan VickersElectrical Company, Limited, London. MV-GRS suppliedsignaling equipment throughout the British Common-wealth, including large quantities in Australia, India,Pakistan, South Africa, and Rhodesia. In 1960, Metro-politan Vickers Electrical Company became a subsidiaryof Associated Electrical Industries, Ltd., and accordinglyMV-GRS, Ltd. became AEI-GRS, Ltd.

AustraliaFrom 1912 through 1917, GRS was represented inAustralia by R.W. Cameron & Company of New YorkCity. In 1914, the first electric interlocking plant inAustralia was installed at Adelaide on the South Austra-lian Government Railways. In the same year, automaticblock signals were furnished for the New South WalesGovernment Railways and the Melbourne suburban linesof the Victorian Railways.

In 1918, GRS Company Proprietary, Limited, wasformed in Australia for the supply of signaling equip-ment in that country and New Zealand. The first abso-lute permissive block signaling outside North Americawas supplied to the New Zealand Government Railwaysin 1921.

SpainAutomatic block signaling was introduced in Spain in1922, installed on the MZA Railway between Barcelonaand Mataro. The Barcelona subway was signaled in1924, followed by other subway installations in Madrid.GRS Iberica, Limited, formed in 1930, continued tofurnish GRS equipment until the Spanish Civil War in1936. In 1951, a license was granted by GRS toMarconi Espanola, S.A., for the manufacture of GRSequipment in Spain. The first cTc in the Iberian Peninsulawas supplied through Marconi to the Spanish NationalRailways in 1952. GRS Iberica, S.A., an associatedcompany, was incorporated in 1961.

ItalyGRS interests in Italy had been in the hands of S.A.Scipioni Innocenti Bologna (SASIB) for many years priorto and after World War II. In 1960, American Machineand Foundry (AMF) acquired control of SASIB, so thatthe GRS Italian licensee was called AMF-SASIB.

NetherlandsIn the early 1920's, electric interlocking systems wereintroduced to other European countries. In 1947,Spoorweg Sein Industrie was formed in the Netherlandsfor supplying signal equipment to certain Europeancountries. After this arrangement was terminated, anassociated company, Algemene Sein Industrie, wasincorporated in 1961 to serve this function.

Central and South American CountriesSince 1913, GRS has supplied signaling equipment tovarious South American countries. The GRS relationshipwith a Brazilian company, Cia. Brasileira de MaterialFerroviaria (COBRASMA) , commenced early in 1945.In 1947, the first GRS retarders were introduced intoChile by the Chilean Exploration Company. In 1960,GRS de Argentina, S.A., was formed to take care ofGRS interests in Argentina. GRS equipment was intro-duced into Mexico as early as 1906. Since 1951, GRScTc, NX, and car classification equipment have beensupplied to the Mexican National Railways throughHenry S. Dabdoub, S.A.

The 534-mile Sishen-Saldahna ore railroad in South Africa iscontrolled from this color-video display console.


INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE

General Railway Signal Company has been blessed for100 years with a team of extremely innovative andcreative personnel. This team has harnessed manytechnological changes during the century into productsand systems to serve not only the rail and transit markets,but also several other industrial and commercial markets.

Countless man years have been spent brainstorming,observing, listening, problem solving, experimenting,prototyping, and testing to bring a myriad of ideas intosolutions to serve the customers needs.

Some 307 GRS personnel have amassed a total of 2434patents during the century. Eight individuals have receivedmore than fifty patents each: J.H.Auer, Jr. (93),C.S.Bushnell (98), O.S.Field (104), W.K.Howe (191),T.J.Judge (54), N.D.Preston (88), H.C.Sibley, Jr. (66),and S.N.Wight (92).

Electrical Laboratory at Taylor Signal Co. in Buffalo, NY (1900).

Abendroth K W.............10Albrighton R F..............13Alexander W C...............1Allen W P .......................1Anderson R F .................8Andreasen C E ...............2Applem an L ....................3Archibald R E.................1Auer J H Jr...................93

Balcaen R G...................1Balliet H S......................1Balliet J B.......................2Banner F H .....................3Barker W M .................15Bechtold R H ..................2Belanger E A..................2Benedict F ....................11Bennett J........................3Birnbaum D .....................2Blaisdell D ......................4Blodgett E O...................5Bloechi L J......................1Bodde T ........................4Bolton N A....................24Brady T W ......................2Bram er D W ...................4Branson E H ..................7Brixner F W ..................20Brockman L ....................8Brown D .........................1Brown N C L.................29Bryant S C ......................2Buchanan J P .................1Buck R C........................2Burke J...........................2Burnett J H.....................3Bushnell C S.................98Butler W .........................2

Cade J T........................1Carroll J E ......................1Carswell L G ...................1Carter A T.......................8Casper F T .....................2Chappell V C ..................1Christofferson C A ..........1Churchill.........................1Clarke G E .....................1Clarke J A .......................1Cloud W D ......................1

Coleman C W ..................3Coley N B .....................39Colwell C E .....................1Conklin T A .....................1Connell R ........................1Conrad R........................2Cook R G........................1Craig F S........................9Craig R W .......................2Craig C R ........................1Cross R K.......................1Curran J W......................1

Daly F A ..........................5Dansbach D J.................1Dasburg A V...................4Davison G W ...................7Day S M........................20Degen D S......................1DeKramer I A ..................5DeLong C I......................1DeLong D F....................7DePalma J A ...................1Dicke O H.....................29Dinger R W .....................3DiPaola J J......................4Dodge L E.......................4Dodgson F L.................37Dorschel C H..................1Drake C ..........................1Dryden G H.....................1Dudley S W .....................1Duffy G E Sr....................5Durand P H .....................1

Eblovi R..........................2Eggebrecht C..................3Estwick C F.....................9

Fairbanks E B.................2Ferm G O ........................9Field O S.....................104Fodge A J.......................1Ford H C.........................2Freehafer J E ..................4Freeman S W ..................6Frielinghaus K H ...........28

Garber A R ......................1Geer M F ........................9Gendreau C J..................1George F ........................1

G riffith L..........................2G roce G H ......................1

Hagen R A......................5Hagenbach G O ..............1Hager M .........................4Hailes W D ...................56Halbleib E A....................1Hall F N..........................3Haner R B Hr................12Hardwick ........................1Hartung R M ...................2Heer H W .......................1Heimbach K N................1Henry W S ....................22Hentz R..........................1Hewes R W ..................19Heydweiller J..................1Heywood T .....................1Hitchcock F B...............31Hochman R....................1Hoelscher J R .................5Hoff M E Jr.....................2Holt J..............................1Hoppe W H ...................10Horma ts M......................2Hoven M H.....................1Howard J Y .....................7Howe W K ..................191Huffman J P..................16Hughson J D.................25

Illenberg C J...................2

Jachino C .......................1Jackson A J Jr................1Jackson C T...................3Jacobus J J ....................3Johanek G J...................5Johnson S G ...................1Judge T J.....................54

Karlet J G .......................1Kem pster E B Jr..............4Kendall H C ..................27Knapp J W .....................3Kovalcik V P ...................6Kubala R ........................1Kunde D A......................1Kure L J..........................1

LaForest J P...................3

Lager E P.......................1Langdon A....................20Langdon J Lawrenece....1Langdon J LeDroit..........1LaPolla A .......................1Larry E C .......................12Lavole S D .....................1Layton C E.....................1Leaf W B ........................1Leake R C.....................49Linder J C .....................13Lisuzzo F C....................1Little R J.........................8Livingston W L................9Lizzard...........................1Locke W C.....................1Luhrs A G .......................1Lundy B A......................1Lucarelli A V Sr..............1

M acano S J....................4M ackey S J ....................6M acomber W ..................7M aderer G G ..................1M aenpaa W K ................7M annell L G ....................1M arpie T P.....................1M arsh D B......................3M arsh G E ......................6M atthews W J ................6M aynard W D ................15M cCauley D R ................5M erkel J F .....................36M ersereau D W ..............4M oore E W ....................12M orcom T H ...................2M organ W V ...................2M orse C W.....................4M urphy D J.....................1M urray J R .....................1

Nilson F C ......................2

O’Brien J C ....................13O’Neil J ..........................1Ober H P ........................5Ohiau H ..........................1Orpin L H .......................3Osborne J L...................3Overmyer R A................1

Palermo J J....................1

Parker J W ......................5Parker W L .....................1Parsons E B....................1Patterson H W ................1Paul J N ..........................3Pearce H J......................3Persson S .......................1Petit W A ........................6Petitt W G .......................7Phelps S M...................12Phinney R M .................30Pickell C A ......................7Plank R ...........................4Plogsted W J..................1Polsky L M......................1Polster M A .....................4Poor C O ........................1Porteous C F ..................1Porter J W ......................1Post E K .........................1Post H B.........................1Powel W T ....................25Prescott C W ...............12Preston N D..................88Pulverenti J.....................1

Rees F X .....................21Refici R J .......................1Reich S ...........................5Reichard W H ...............42Reid A E .........................1Rekers G ........................5Renshaw A H..................2Renshaw P.....................1Rice P X .........................2Rice W B ........................1Richm ond C A ................3Rossell J.........................1Ross L A.........................6Ross O A........................6Rudd ..............................1Rusick J H ......................2Rutherford D B................5

Saint S P........................3Salmon W W .................12Sarvey J L ......................1Scheg M A....................18Schumann L W ...............1Schwab C E....................1Schwarz P D ...................4

Sexton E J Jr..................1Shahbaz Z......................1Shook C G .....................2Sibley H C Jr................66Simm en P J....................4Simm en P S ...................1Sluis M H ........................1Sm ith B L .......................6Sm ith E K .......................1Sm ith J H.......................2Sm ith P W ......................8Sm ith R R.......................1Sm ith W R....................35Snell J A .........................6Snyder H O ....................1Snyder J E.....................1Soule R M Jr..................2Springett L R ..................1Stafford C F....................4Stephenson J E............17Stevens O E...................3Stevenson C E ...............1Stillman N A ...................1Stright B M .....................1Sutton P.........................1Swane P H.....................2Swanton C L...................8Svet F A.........................1

Taft B.............................1Taylor H B ....................20Taylor J D .......................6Thom son A G.................1Towey M ........................1Townsend F .................10Townsend J J.................1Turner D E.....................2Twitchell M C ..................3

Vande Sande G ............10VanWo rmer R P .............2Vaughn J I......................3Vineall E G .....................1

W aldron L F....................2W alley E D .....................1W ebster O B...................1W ells R F.......................7W enholz W W ..............12W est J F.........................1W etmore A W .................6W hitehorn A R ................5

W iskon H .............1W iegand F B ...........1W ight L W .............1W ight S N .............92W ilcox C S .............15W illiam s R E...........1W illiam son E B..........2W illing J E.............26W ion G H.............4W olfe R J.............2W orkma n W H ..........1W ormsbecher R P.......1W rege W R ............4W uerpel M .............4W ynn H S.............8

Young S M .............12

Zaffarano F P...........5

ALSTOM Signaling Inc.(formerly General Railway Signal)

Inventors and Number of Patents Issued

HISTORY OF PATENTS


Development Department at GRS (1910).

Electronics Laboratory at GRS (1952).


Electronics Laboratory at ALSTOM Signaling Inc. (2004).



NOTES


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ALSTOM Signaling Inc. - 1025 John Street - West Henrietta, NY 14586 (USA)Tel.: (585) 783-2000 - Fax: (585) 274-8777 - www.alstomsignalingsolutions.com P1364 Rev. 7/04

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