Home > Legacy Projects > Featured > Restoration of 1906 Train Order Semaphore

A Legacy in the Making: Restoration of the Train Order Semaphore
Restoration of the Train Order Semaphore In Patagonia is Nearly Complete

By Mary Jo Padgett

PATAGONIA, Ariz. – By July 4, Patagonia Town Manager Bob Hutchins plans to have completed a few minor adjustments on the 28-foot-tall steel and cast-iron train order semaphore beside Town Hall. The 110-year-old train depot has been rehabilitated to a new use as Patagonia Town Hall, and a historic train order semaphore once again stands outside. A 2.5-mile loop walking trail has been created that starts at the semaphore and goes along the railroad tracks and Sonoita Creek into downtown Patagonia. By July 4 the plaque that describes the history of the semaphore and the old train station will be put in place at the foot of the structure, some missing bolts will have been replaced and painted, and the light on the semaphore will have been readjusted.

“Then the project will be complete and finished,” Hutchins said. “We are pleased to be one of the projects in the Arizona Centennial Legacy Project, and we’re happy to have finally added the finishing touches,” he added. “Our semaphore is visible for some distance, and visitors and town folks have really enjoyed having it restored. A community group created a walking trail that starts at the semaphore, and the National Park Service gave a grant to create the 3’X 3” trailhead sign.”

The original line through Patagonia was built by the New Mexico & Arizona Railroad in 1882. Southern Pacific Railroad acquired control of the line in 1898 in a complex swap agreement with the Santa Fe Railroad and built the depot in June 1900.

In the heyday of Arizona’s railroad era, train order semaphores were vital to the safety and smooth running of train traffic across the state by signaling to train engineers whether to stop or proceed. The original semaphore at Patagonia, installed by the Southern Pacific, had a wooden pole and was controlled with metal cables. That semaphore was removed after a 1929 flood destroyed the tracks west of Patagonia. The restored semaphore located outside Patagonia Town Hall today was originally located in Benson or Bowie, Arizona. It is a Southern Pacific, 1906 all-metal design.

The Train Order Semaphore Restoration is an official project of the Arizona Centennial Legacy Project.

Project Information
Name: Restoration of the 1906 Train Order Semaphore
Type: Local
Contact: Randy Heiss (520) 394-2229
Website: For more information on train order semaphores visit http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_semaphore_signal. For more information about the walking trail visit http://www.patagoniapubliclibrary.org/ and click on Town Trail.