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
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Highball Signal, June 2012
Show map of Delaware Show map of the United States
Location	City park, near Delmarva Central Railroad in Delmar, Delaware, US
Coordinates	38.456414°N 75.578004°W / 38.456414; -75.578004
Area	0 acres (0 ha)
NRHP reference No.	73000553[1]
Added to NRHP	July 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 October 31, 2019.
3. Edward F. Heite (January 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Highball Signal". and Accompanying three photos

External links

• Delaware Public Archives: Highball Signal