Union Switch & Signal
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| Industry | Rail transport |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merged with Ansaldo STS [1] |
| Predecessor(s) | Union Electric Signal, Interlocking Switch & Signal |
| Successor(s) | Ansaldo STS |
| Founded | 1881 [2] |
| Founder(s) | George Westinghouse [2] |
| Defunct | 2009 [1] |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, U.S. |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Railway signalling equipment, communication systems and services |
| Employees | 500 |
Union Switch and Signal (US&S) was a supplier of railway signaling equipment, systems and services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As of January 1, 2009, US&S is known as Ansaldo STS USA.
Contents |
[edit] History
George Westinghouse founded Union Switch & Signal in 1881, consolidating the assets of the Union Electric Signal Company (founded by track circuit inventor William Robinson)[3] and the Interlocking Switch & Signal Company (which had pioneered interlockings).[2] In 1925 US&S acquired the Hall Signal Company, primarily to obtain the latter company's patents for searchlight signals.[4]
[edit] Corporate management
US&S operated as an independent company until 1917, when it became a subsidiary of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO). In 1968, American Standard purchased WABCO and reorganized US&S as a separate division.[5]
In 1988, Ansaldo purchased US&S from American Standard. In November 1993, US&S became a publicly traded company with shares listed on Nasdaq.[2] In December 1996, US&S merged with the other signaling investments of Ansaldo. As a result of that merger, US&S is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Ansaldo STS, a global supplier of signaling, control and automation systems.[2] The company was renamed Ansaldo STS – USA in January 2009.
Throughout its history, US&S has been in the Pittsburgh area. Located in the borough of Swissvale for most of its history, US&S moved to new facilities in 1995 on Technology Drive within the city limits. Other facilities include a manufacturing plant in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina, and a service and repair shop in Kingston, Ontario.
[edit] Product development
[edit] Railway signalling
US&S built the first power interlocking system in the United States, a pneumatic design, in 1882 at East St. Louis, Illinois. Within several years the company developed an electro-pneumatic system, which was widely adopted by railroads across the country.[6]
In 1901 US&S developed the first automatic train stop system for the Boston Elevated Railway. This system was later adopted by the New York City Subway and other transit systems.[7] In 1908 the company introduced an electrically-controlled highway crossing gate.[8]
In 1923 US&S developed the first inductive inductive train control system, and coded track circuits, supporting bi-directional cab signalling, in 1934.[2]
The first digital rail yard control system was built by US&S in 1970, for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway at Kansas City, Kansas.[2]
[edit] The first mechanical bell
US&S first patented the Model 15A Highway crossing bell on February 20, 1917. The bell has been commonly referred to as the "Teardrop" bell by railroaders and signal fans alike because of its unique shape and thus the name has stuck. This bell has appeared on advertising literature for railroad signals as far back as the 1920s in non domestic places like Chile and Italy on early wig wag crossings and flashers. There have been subtle variations in the Teardrop bell over the years ranging from different sized electric coils, inclusion of the patent date on the rain hood, as well as a very early version with a less characteristic rain hood that simply read "UNION, patent pending." This is the most commonly seen variation of the Teardrop. This bell is treasured by many for its slow low pitched ring at an irregular cadence. The production of this bell was discontinued sometime by the 1960s, but WABCO carried replacement castings and service manuals into the 1970s.[citation needed]
[edit] Wartime production
Union Switch and Signal was one of the five main contractors (including Colt, Remington-Rand, Ithaca Gun Company, and Singer Sewing Machine) to make M1911A1 pistols during World War II. The production blocks assigned to them in 1943 was between SNs 1,041,405 to 1,060,000 and 1,060,001 to 1,096,494.[citation needed]
[edit] Modern products
- Grade Crossing Signal Equipment
- Model 95 grade crossing gate mechanism
- 8" and 12" railroad crossing flashers
- Railroad Crossing bells*
- Railroad Crossing Gate Arms
- Railroad Crossing Masts
- Gate Arm Counterweights
- Carborne signaling (Cab signalling) equipment
- Automatic Train Control (ATC)
- Automatic Train Protection (ATP)
- Automatic train stop (ATS)
- Wayside signaling equipment
- DC code systems
- electronic communication systems
- electronic interlocking
- relays
- signals
- switch machines
- track circuits
- Central Control signaling equipment
- computer-based Manual Control Systems
- computer-based Traffic Management Systems
- dark territory control systems
- electro-mechanical centralized traffic control (CTC) machines
* This is the only company to still make mechanical bells. They also are the only company to make 180 degree electronic bells.
[edit] Clients
- Railroad
- Alaska Railroad
- Amtrak
- BNSF Railway
- Canadian National Railway
- Canadian Pacific Railway
- CSX
- Ferrocarriles Argentinos
- Kansas City Southern Railway
- Norfolk Southern Railway
- Union Pacific Railroad
- RailCorp (Rail Corporation New South Wales) and its predecessors
- ARTC (Australian Rail Track Corporation) and previous operators of its network
- Transit
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
- Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
- NJ Transit
- New York City Transit Authority
- Port Authority of Allegheny County
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
- Chicago Transit Authority
- Copenhagen Metro
[edit] See also
- General Railway Signal, the other major US railway signaling company.
- Safetran, other US railway signaling company.
- North American railroad signals
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ansaldo STS: Our companies
- ^ a b c d e f g Ansaldo STS: History of the Company
- ^ American Railway Association (1922). The Invention of the Track Circuit. New York. p. 59. http://www.archive.org/details/inventionoftrack00newyrich.
- ^ Solomon, Brian (2003). Railroad Signaling. MBI Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 9780760313602.
- ^ American Standard Brands, Piscataway, NJ. "1968: WABCO Joins Forces with American Standard." The History of American Standard. Accessed 2011-06-11.
- ^ Union Switch and Signal Co. (US&S) (1914). Electro-Pneumatic Interlocking. Swissvale, PA. pp. 9–11.
- ^ US&S (1911). Automatic Block Signalling for Interurban Electric Railways. Swissvale, PA. p. 33. Bulletin No. 57.
- ^ US&S (undated). Model 14 Electric Crossing Gate. Swissvale, PA. Bulletin No. 79.
[edit] External links
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