BOB2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Maybe it's my more conservative SP training, but
> when we had dark signals on a mainline, we
> operated at restricted speed, and thus, were able
> to "stop short of a switch not properly
> lined......"

During a signal suspension on the SP, the dispatcher would issue a Form Z train order to all trains. It read as follows:

AUTOMATIC BLOCK SIGNALS TEMPORARILY OUT OF BETWEEN SIGNAL XXX AND SIGNAL XXX AND ARMS HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND LIGHTS EXTINGUISHED IN SEMAPHORE SIGNALS OR LIGHTS COVERED IN LIGHT SIGNALS SPEED OF PASSENGER TRAINS MUST NOT EXCEED 59 MPH AND OTHER TRAINS 49 MPH AND RULES 11 87 91 93 304 AND OTHER RULES GOVERNING MOVEMENT OUTSIDE OF BLOCK SYSTEM LIMITS WILL APPLY

(Source: Rules and Regulations of the Transportation Department - Southern Pacific Company. Effective January 1, 1969)