The Griswold Signal Company was an American company focused on

railway signalling Railway signalling (), also called railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormou ...

, based in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Founded by Minnesota native Franklin Wolcott Griswold,Griswold Signal Co - inventor obituary
on ''The Star Tribune'' of Minneapolis, Minnesota, 8 Jan 1992, page 18 the company manufactured

traffic signal Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic. Traffic light ...

s and railroad

level crossing signals Level crossing signals are the electronic warning devices for road vehicles at railroad level crossings. The basic signal consists of flashing red lights, a crossbuck and a bell (either a real bell or a speaker that mimics a bell sound), attach ...

History

Beginning

Griswold got his start in 1923 with the invention of the "American Bobby," a

traffic sign Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduce ...

designed for placement in the middle of an intersection that would collapse if struck by a vehicle. Signs were nicknamed after London traffic control officers with its red and green lights visible in all directions.CityDig: Should I Stop or Should I Go? Early Traffic Signals in Los Angeles
by Nathan Masters on ''Los Angeles Magazine'', January 4, 2013 Many ''bobby'' signals were sold to municipalities throughout North America; this led to the development of the rotating banner signal.

Development

In 1927, Griswold introduced the rotating banner signal. This was a unique combination of highway flasher and rotating

stop sign A stop sign is a traffic sign designed to notify drivers that they must come to a complete stop and make sure the intersection is safely clear of vehicles and pedestrians before continuing past the sign. In many countries, the sign is a red oc ...

(similar to a

school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...

stop sign). An approaching train would trigger not just the requisite red flashing lights and bells, but a mechanism that rotated a yellow stop sign ninety degrees to face traffic as well. (The signs eventually changed to red).Griswold rotating rail crossing signal
on Trainweb.org This type of signal was relatively common throughout the Midwestern United States, where state regulators required use of the design. Some were also installed in the Western United States, especially along the

Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...

, and

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

. The firm purchased

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

-based

Magnetic Signal Company The Magnetic Signal Company was an American company based in Los Angeles, California focused on railway signalling. The company was the manufacturer of the ubiquitous "Magnetic Flagman" wigwag railroad crossing (or level crossing) signal seen all ...

in the late 1940s and moved production to Minneapolis. Magnetic Signal is the company credited with the invention of the wigwag grade crossing signal once common throughout

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. "Railroad Accessories Corporation" (RACO) merged with Griswold Signal Company in 1964. Manufacturing of crossing signals continued in Minneapolis. In 1971, RACO and Marquardt Industrial Products merged to form

Safetran Safetran Systems Corporation was an American company that manufactured switch machines, railroad wayside signal systems, rail transit signaling and rail-highway level crossing active warning systems. The company was a major supplier of freight/c ...

. Management, sales, and manufacture of crossing signals continued in Minneapolis until 2000, when the division moved to Kentucky.

Surviving signals

As of November 2016, there are only half a dozen known Griswold signals still in service along active rail, all in Minnesota, none with rotating stop sign signals. The last pair with an operating banner protected 22nd Ave NE in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Griswolds in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

and

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

were both removed circa 2010.

References

External links

Griswold Flashing light
on Trainweb.org
Minnesota's Griswold Banner Signals
- List of all known remaining Griswold crossing signals in the state of Minnesota {{Railway signalling Companies based in Minneapolis Railway signalling manufacturers