Highball Signal

Highball Signal is a historic railroad signal located in Delmar, Delaware, United States. It is a white sphere mounted on a pole and located next to the railroad tracks to signal permission for a train to proceed at full speed, if the ball was at the top of the pole. The term "highball" came to be synonymous with a clear right-of-way and for trains to proceed at full speed.[2] It was originally in service at New Castle, Delaware, and then at Hurlock, Maryland. The highball signal was moved to Delmar for display during the town's centennial in 1959, and is no longer used to direct railroad traffic, but is maintained as a public exhibition in a park near the railroad.[3]

Highball Signal
Highball Signal, June 2012
LocationCity park, near Delmarva Central Railroad in Delmar, Delaware, US
Coordinates38.456414°N 75.578004°W / 38.456414; -75.578004
Area0 acres (0 ha)
NRHP reference No.73000553[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 2, 1973

It was placed on the US National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1]

Ball Signal USA (1830) "High ball"

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Anthony J. Bianculli (2001). Trains and Technology: The American Railroad in the Nineteenth Century, Volume 4. University of Delaware Press. p. 134. ISBN 9780874138030. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  3. Edward F. Heite (January 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Highball Signal". and Accompanying three photos


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