[Safety Performance Board]

Tracking safety performance along the ATSF in Chicago.

This incredible sign originally hung in a combination office/locker room at an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway facility in Chicago, probably in the late 1950s or early 1960s. According to a letter by a previous owner describing the item, it was first displayed in a wooden building adjacent to the former reading room, which had been turned into a public restaurant at the time. After that temporary structure was demolished, it was moved to the company clubhouse, where it was rescued before the final closure of the site.

The board was theoretically used to report on injuries sustained on the Illinois Division of the ATSF. The date and frequency of incidents are divided by railroad service departments like the train, engine, yard, and station. One permanent entry in white paint reads ‘Liggot’, but otherwise the entries are blank. This was apparently not uncommon, as the same letter indicates that these safety performance trackers were not used consistently or kept up-to-date.