Versions have existed for a long time

Versions of these types of markers have been used all over the world for a long time.  I cannot comment on how long ago this specific white and orange type came into use, or where.  But, often, older ones were wooden or stone structures.  They are indicated on charts used for coastal navigation (their presence and location, not their appearance).  So, a start would be to get copies of charts for areas that represent your interest and look for them.  They are called "day beacons" as I recall.  For example, I bet the port of Halifax, N.S. had/has plenty of them.

A wooden day beacon tower would be a nice thing to model for the 1950s I would think.

Hope this helps,

Dennis

Navigational Markers

those shown would be referred to as "range marks."  A vessel would line them up so that from the bridge or pilot house they apear to be a strait line when the vessel was on the correct course in a channel,  Refer to a good book pn "piloting".

 "But I don't know if they

I'm sure they existed in some form, range markers have been around for a long time. That version in the photo looks too new for the 50's , like traffic signs the paint schemes change over the years. Some range markers are larger pyramidal shaped and they can have lights for night use.  Google range markers or range marks for some photos of various types......DaveB

You certainly have helped,

You certainly have helped, Dennis.

I found a pic of an old stone one. It is located somewhere near Maine and NB border.

Thanks for the informative

Thanks for the informative reply, Glenn.

Will do, Dave, right away....

Will do, Dave, right away.... thanks. The search is on...

"I found a pic of an old

Also note the round brass USGS monument on the big rock in the foreground......DaveB 

Oops! I didn't see it. Thanks

Oops! I didn't see it. Thanks for pointing it out, Dave.

I found some interesting

I found some interesting info, but still trying to find out if they were around in the mid to late fifties.

I made some markers.    

I made some markers.

memories

When I was a kid I worked on the ships here in Manitoba. (yes there's ships on the prairies!) http://www.marinemuseum.ca/index.html and I remember tall poles painted with horizontal stripes that we'd line up in the day and lights at night.  

For those who are wondering what the heck that means, you line up the markers so you only see the first one with the second one behind it and head straight towards them. When you see two on the port or starboard bow you turn until they become one and head towards them.

Interesting. What colour

Interesting. What colour where the stripes on the poles and may I ask what decade were you a kid?

poles

I recall they were red stripes on white poles. There were different shapes and sizes of markers too, not all were maintained by the gov., I think some were put up by private parties. Transport Canada has a website on nav markers but it doesn't mention all types.

.

Looking sharp. Good compromise and it give the feeling of the area. Well done.

Thanks, MLW. There are

Thanks, MLW. There are stand-ins for now until I can find an actual image of them in the area I model.

Rico, I now recall seeing a

Rico, I now recall seeing a water tower and radio towers painted this way. I would like to model this someday for a future layout, as tit would be a bit too large on the current layout I'm working on.

Canadian practice

I would take the ones you have illustrated with the orange stripes and make the following changes:

(1) taper the boards so that the mark nearer the water has its narrow end up, and the far mark has the narrow end down.

(2) replace the orange stripes with white and the white background with red

The mark nearer the water would be lower.  When you're on the range the pointy ends would be appear together, and you'd have a continuous white stripe.

< edit> Of course from the landward side you wouldn't see all that.  I'd imagine the back sides of the range marks would be painted white.

David

Thank you! David.

Thank you! David. Another project I look forward to.

David, Ed found me an image

David, Ed found me an image of one of the markers you mentioned attached to the side of a structure. NOw I just have to fiugrue out an approximate dimension and what the angle is on the sides.

[attach:fileid=291569_6_0XMDETHI2kg+nD/N1//Z]

range mark

Yup, you got it!  Its mate will be the other way up, lower, and closer to the water.  Sorry I can't help with the dimensions - they may well vary with the location.  That one looks to me about 6 ft high.

David

David, I think I'll make one

David, I think I'll make one out of a scale 4 x 8 sheet of styrene.

I've decided to make a

I've decided to make a navigational marker, but instead of having it mounted on the side of a bldg, I want to mount it on some type of wooden short tower-like structure that I can scratchbuild.

It will look like this one:

"I've decided to make a

  I recall seeing them mounted on wooden pyrimidal structures, maybe 16 feet or so high,on the shores of back bays,sloughs, or navigable rivers....DaveB 

range markers

When you're coming in from sea you see the far (inshore) mark behind and higher than the near one.   The task then is to steer so that the top of the near mark and the bottom of the far are together pointing at one another.  As Dave B says, they're more likely to be mounted on anything from a pole to a wooden lattice than a building.  Of course if the building happens to be in just the right place...

David