The Prototype:
The unique Lehigh Valley Whistle Posts were hand made in their own shops. The two foot diameter circle was hand cut from 1/4″ steel plate, possibly from freight car sides. The “W” was nibbled out or torch cut and riveted to 2″ diameter old boiler tubes which had been flattened on one end. They were buried 4′ in the ground with an extra 1′ on the end bent at 90 degrees. This prevented the sign from being rotated by wind or others.
Installation:
The brass wire post can be attached to the disc with ACC glue or by soldering. The prototype disc was painted white and the posts black. Based on known railroad practices, the center of the sign should be located no more than 8 feet (1 3/32″ in HO) above ground level and 10 feet (1 3/8″ in HO) from the center of the track.
