Harp switch stand targets

From: "Randall Hees" hees@ix.netcom.com

I am working on a mystery

Several of us did a photo survey of South Pacific Coast harp switch stand target and paint styles. It appears that originally the SPC followed CP/SP practice. This appears to be a circle with a crown, (at the top of the mast) and a diamond (at the middle,) both painted red, with a white outline.

We find the originally SPC stands have both targets, or only the top (crown), and later, after 1895 also in some cases have only the lower (diamond) but by 1895 the upper is white while the lower is dark (red)

There are also some stands with no targets, and some with a derail sign.

We know what the derail means, we assume the no target version is for yard or industrial tracks, but what do the two targets, diamond only or crown only arraignments mean?

Randy Hees
Please note, my email address is changing to hees@rcn.com