This semaphore railroad signal was originally located in Maitland on the main line of what is now the CSX Railroad. In 1880 the South Florida Railway built a narrow gauge railway between Sanford and Orlando through Maitland. After Henry Plant took over the line in 1883, it was extended to Tampa for 115 miles that same year and later upgraded to standard gauge, and today's railroad from Sanford to Orlando still follows the same roadbed laid out in 1880. This kind of signal served as the communications link between the dispatcher and a train's conductor and engineer. The dispatcher regulated train traffic to prevent collisions and, when necessary, sent a telegraphic message to the station master at the next station where a train was to pass. The station master then adjusted office levers to position the semaphore arms along the track and relay instructions. If a train was to slow down to receive orders without stopping, the station master wrote the order, attached it to a rod with a hoop, held it up to the passing train, and the engineer caught it by putting an arm through the hoop and pulling the message into the cab. Although telecommunications have replaced semaphores along much of the track, red, yellow, and green signals still indicate the condition of the track ahead, including restricting, clear, and stop commands.