Re: Flanger up sign

Intereseting subject. Having just completed a "C" work session with the C&TS Friends MOW Whistle Posts & Mile Marker crew, we got to see some of these flanger signs. The one at Apache crossing is the best preserved of the ones we found since it still has a little paint left on it. The Apache flanger sign has black and yellow angled stripes on the "wing". What we couldn't figure is what the sign protected since it was a bit far from the road crossing. Was there a small trestle at one time instead of the the present fill? The other intact flanger sign we found was just above Cresco tank (I think it protects the small bridge just north of the tank). The Cresco sign has no markings or paint visible on it. We also are pretty sure we found the locaton of a third sign just west of Cumbres to protect the guard rail on the curve through Windy Point. The Cumbres sign was co-located with the "40 Car" sign (which we painted) and that's how we found the "remains" of the flanger sign; all that's left is the 6x6 tie with 3 nails sticking out. All these signs were similar in construction. The bases were made of 6x6 bridge ties, sunk into the ground so that about 3-4'was above ground. The sign itself was made of dimensional (actual) 2"x4" timbers with the "wing" set at a 45 deg angle to the main mast (sort of like a hockey stick). The 2x4 masts were nailed (using 3 nails) into the 6x6 tie. The two existing wooden signs we found were about 16-18' tall (our estimate); we figured this would make them visible above the average snowfall in these areas. The way these flanger signs were mounted gave them a "frangibility"; the upper mast and sign could break off of the base (due to an assortment of reasons) while the base would remain intact so replacing the sign would be a simple matter of nailing another "hockey stick" to the base.