Railroad Signal Test Prep

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CSX Seaboard signals are now referred to as CSX Standard.

More or less the dwarfs follow the same convention as high stand signals. Read the lights as if they were a two headed high stand signal. Disregard the lower red lights when reading them like you would if they were high stands.

There is a flaw in the logic however because you would not expect the two signals below to be 'Slow' but they are.

G/R dwarf would be read as G (and a green dwarf is Slow Clear)
Y/R dwarf would be read as Y (and a yellow dwarf is a Slow Approach)

The Y/Y (Medium Advance Approach) dwarf doesn't follow any obvious convention.

From https://www.trainorders.com/
Date: 02/18/10 07:21
CSX Signal Conventions
Author: CO5232

CSX in the past few years has had THREE sets of signal aspects & indications:

-- "Seaboard" signals, found on former SCL, L&N, et al territory. These are designated by their rule numbers without prefix of suffix letters.

-- "Chessie" signals, found primarily on former B&O/C&O/WM lines. this includes all aspects found on the CPL signals. These signals carry the same rule numbers, but prefixed with a "C", e.g., C-281 (Clear)

-- "Conrail" signals, found where you might guess. These are the NORAC Signal Aspects and Indications, rule numbers prefixed with a "CR", e.g., CR-281.

All three sets of aspects and indications are speed-based, that is the home signal at a control point would display either Slow, Medium or Limited Clear depending on turnout speed in the route vs. the "one-size-fits-all" Diverging Clear typical of western roads.

Probably the biggest difference between the various aspects is the Seaboard rules allow lunar aspects for Restricting, whereas Chessie/Conrail aspects use the tradional (for them) bottom yellow. I haven't seen the latest CSX book, so I don't know if CSX has embraced the flashing red aspect for Restricting like the GCOR roads. If they're using LED signal heads I'd guess they have.

The special instructions for each subdivision will tell you which set of signal rules are in effect.

CSX System Standard for new installations is the Seaboard style. When they re-installed the second main from Pine Jct. IN to Willard, OH the CPLs were all removed and color lights conforming to the SBD aspects were installed.

In my ticket-punching days at Amtrak, I had to know the Chessie signals to work to Grand Rapids (they also had a couple of aspects unique to the ex-PM up there, like a green-over-green dwarf -- not a CPL-- for Clear) and the SBD aspects to work to Garrett, IN or the ex-Monon to Indy. These little variances always made CSX rules classes, shall we say, interesting...

NZ

Note that the attached guide was based on an old rule book or before 2010. It refers to 'Seaboard' signals which were only identified by rule number in the old book and are now known as 'Standard' signals in the 2014 rule book.

There are some minor differences between the old Seaboard and new Standard illustrations in the rule book. For example:

1) There are no longer dashes between the rule numbers and the rule letters. Rule 1281-B is now 1281B.

2) There are slight differences in the indication punctuation. The old Rule 1281-C (and others) had a colon after the word 'switches', the new 1281C does not.

3) The old Rule 1285 refers to 'engine', the new Rule 1285 refers to 'locomotive'.

4) The old Rule 1298 starts with 'Poceed', the new Rule 1298 starts with 'Proceed'.

The practice exams on this site are based on the applicable carrier rule books. Although very few, be aware there may be signal aspects in the rule books that are not represented in the practice material here. Best practice is to be thoroughly familiar with the applicable rule book you are testing on before you attempt the practice exams.

The signals, and also the answer options, are shuffled each time you start a practice session. There is only one correct answer.