Call Before You Dig!

AT&T Corp.
Being the oldest and most established of the major long distance carriers AT&T has a far greater variety of route markers due the companies age and the number of routes. Only lightguide (fiber optic) route markers are covered here. Coaxial cable markers, where found will be covered on a different page.

Figure 1-1 shows the standard route marker for route utilizing rail right of way in Virginia and Maryland (Delaware is different, coming soon). Figure 1-2 is the standard non-rail route marker except in most of Virginia except the Northern Virginia, Norfolk metro area and Maryland. Figure's 1-3 and 1-4 show a special kind of marker for "route around" routes where the route leaves an establish ROW and goes on a short spur. This is usually done to tie in a far off POP, sometimes its just done to be done...

The second table showcases some of the AT&T/PF.net joint (now soley owned by AT&T) backbone route markers in Virginia (in Delaware these markers are different). Also included is a very distinctive marker in Rocky Mount, NC across the street from the main central office (also an AT&T long distance switch site). Yet more misc. examples such as interPOP markers and stuff from Delaware coming soon! Oh and very soon we will add a cable landing sign from a cable crossing the Potomac River (and eventually one that crosses the Susquehana River).

AT&T Corp. route markers

	Fig. 1-1	Fig. 1-2	Fig. 1-3	Fig. 1-4
Number:	27 ?	524	64	60 8
Type:	Hybrid	Hybrid	Matchstick	Matchstick
Location:	Lee Hall depot Newport News, VA	Dahlgren area King George Co., VA	Mt. Pleasant Charles City Co., VA	Providence Forge New Kent Co., VA

AT&T Corp. route markers con't.

	Coming soon!
	Fig. 1-1	Fig. 1-2	Fig. 1-3	Fig. 1-4
Number:	001	?	2	962
Type:	Matchstick	Placard	Matchstick	Matchstick
Location:	AT&T/PF.net O-AMP Surry Co., VA	old lightguide hut Stafford Co., VA	Rt. 40 & Pleasant Valley Rd. New Castle Co., DE	Rocky Mount Edgecomb Co., NC

Level (3)
Figure 3-1 shows the defacto Level 3 router marker in Virginia. Except for some markers going into the town of South Hill the main route uses this type of sign. However as soon as one crosses the state line into Maryland (via Rt. 301 or I-495) the markers change over to a stumpy kind of matchstick marker (coming soon).

Level (3) route markers

	Fig. 3-1
Number:	0021-1147
Type:	Placard
Location:	Dinwiddie Courthouse Dinwiddie Co., VA

MCI
MCI markers come in very littler variety. Fig. 4-1 is essentially covers all variations of MCI branded markers. Different MCI markers do exist but only because those markers were for SoutherNET, LightNet and Wiltel (the old one) routes acquired later on by MCI. Figure 4-2 simply shows marker #10100. Pictures of heritage markers will be coming soon.

MCI route markers

	Fig. 4-1	Fig. 4-2	Fig. 4-3
Number:	1024	10100	VA-002092
Type:	Matchstick	Matchstick	Placard
Location:	Rt. 60 split New Kent Co., VA	Whitakers Edgecombe Co., NC	Doswell Hanover Co., VA

U.S. Sprint
Sprint rarely uses matchsticks to mark their long distance routes. Figure 5-1 shows classic and universal (at least in the VA) router marker. Figure 5-2 is a common replacement sign for damaged markers. In figure 5-2 note the plastic construction and the droping of the U.S. from the Sprint logo. Finally, note the simplistic anti-digging logo depicted in Fig. 5-1 versus the more complete anti-digging and anti-backhoe logo of Fig. 5-2.

U.S. Sprint route markers

	Fig. 5-1	Fig. 5-2
Number:	VA 01 0367	VA 01 0366
Type:	Placard	Placard
Location:	Providence Forge, New Kent Co., VA	Providence Forge, New Kent Co., VA

Qwest
Figure's 6-1 and 6-2 respectively show an original Lightwave Spectrum route marker and one that has recently been patched. QGS is apparently an abbreviation for Qwest Government Services. With the purchase of Lightwave Spectrum by QGS it seems the rumors of Lightwave Spectrum being a CIA front company are squashed.

Lightwave Spectrum Qwest route markers

	Fig. 2-1	Fig. 2-2	Fig. 2-3
Number:	N/A	N/A	11128
Type:	Placard	Placard	Matchstick
Location:	SW/O Midland Fauquier Co., VA	Remington Fauquier Co., VA	Doswell Hanover Co., VA