Ball Signal

This ball signal was once located at Waumbek Junction, where the Maine Central Railroad and Boston and Maine Railroad crossed in the town of Jefferson, New Hampshire. Operated by a member of the train crew, it used one ball raised to the masthead to allow Boston and Maine trains to cross the Maine Central tracks, while two balls at the masthead gave Maine Central trains the right to cross the B and M. Ball signals were once common at railroad crossings throughout the United States and gave rise to the term "Highball." The last ball signal in regular service on an American railroad still stands at Whitefield, New Hampshire.

North Conway, New Hampshire · United States