Nightlight

[Crossover]

The reason why I titled this "Nightlight"is from a belief and concern for those who engineer at night . Over the years I've been interested in railroading , I've noticed a many deadly accidents at night envolving trains traveling in areas where there is little or no light and the light of the locomotive is not enough . I believe there should be mandatory lighting at major points not just stations and yards i.e active warehouse and industrial sidings , interlocking diamonds where lines cross, multiple turnouts where bowl sidings began and end in darkened areas along the main . You have signals but there should be lighting along curves and where there are no airhorn model 10 gated signals only poles with crossbuck signs on them . Lighting should be mandatorily located where there are model 10 gated signals and on bridges . Also between major cities .

Many lives taken , locomotives and expensive cars are destoyed in accidents located in areas that have little or inadequated lighting . I pray for those who work on the lines at night . I live by BNSF and there are lighted at grade crossings . In other important areas of the city and outside of the city of Houston . There is little or no lighting along the tracks . As beautiful night railroading can be, it is also can be risky and dangerous due to it being heavily dark . It can be both freight or passenger during all seasons especially winter where you can't see the black ice . Yes , just like trucking , there is a such thing as black ice on the rails enough to cause major wheelslip resulting in a derailment and it is dark , you can't really see the tracks except the turnouts even after a jordan spreader has passed and the rails ice up again or spring and summer during the months of storms and heavyrains , the tracks are flooded rotting out some ties below or washout of a portion of a main line from a flooded creek, river, lake , or bayou or possible bridge out . This is why I believe it is important for adequate and mandatory lighting in key areas along the tracks at night . I pray for those who engineer locomotives and work on the tracks at night , ya'll be careful and be safe out there on those tracks at night .

 

[the_traveler]

So I think you're saying that there should be lights along all 100,000 miles of railway in the country? :huh:

 

[Crossover]

What I'm saying is that there should be lighting at important spots not the entire line . Those important spots that are subject for a potential accident because they are located in areas where there is very little or no lighting . For example :

1. Diamonds

2. Crossovers (LH/RH/Double)

3. Bowl sidings that have turnouts on both ends

4. Curved trackage especially sharp trackage

5. Curved Turnouts .

6. Sit yards that don't have no lighting .

7. Bridges

8. Tunnels

These are likely some of the most important areas that don't have little or no lighting at all and the areas where most accidents occur at night are desert regions i.e canyons , gorges , dry riverbeds and in heavily forest or wooded areas . i e. mountain passes . These areas don't have any lighting .

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Sure there are areas that could be lighted such as yards, crossings etc. But out along the line where the train is at speed……by the time engineer would be able to see a potential hazard in the light, then react….applying the brakes, the train could be nearly a mile down the track.

Probably better to invest in such things as slide fences to give advance warning of rocks on the track……or a link tied to the signal system that would indicate a break if a bridge span was out.

Before “Ditch Lights” became the norm on locomotives throughout North America, railways used them in mountain areas to better light the area ahead.

Here’s the Super Continental at Winnipeg (first photo) in October 1975, ready to head out across the flat prairies.

In the second photo, it’s now at Jasper and auxiliary lights have been added for the run through the mountains and into the Thompson and Fraser River Canyons where there is a potential for rock slides.

 

[Shortline]

As an engineer, let me assure you, we're fine. In fact, the fewer lights, the better. A lot of lights in an area actually creates more problems than it solves, it's hard to differentiate sometimes between a bright floodlight, and a headlight or clearly see the signals. Also, it's sometimes hard to see "through" the lit up areas to the dark area behind the lights. (Like trying to see the road directly behind an oncoming car in the adjacent lane). Headlights were good, ditch lights made it better. We don't need more lighting. In yards, and stations where there are slow speed operations and workers on the ground, sure, but out on the line running at track speed? No, dark is preferable, our locomotive lights do all we need them to do,

 

[jis]

I think the idea of installing lights all along the railroad is yet another solution looking for a problem.

 

[Ryan]

Fixed lighting is wasteful and unnecessary.

If this is actually a problem (it appears that it isn't), then improved locomotive lighting is the answer.

 

[MIrailfan]

Locomotive headlights are pretty bright. They have long range.

 

[railiner]

I miss the old "Mars" gyrating headlites from the 'E-unit' era....although their primary purpose was to attract the attention of motorists approaching grade crossings, they also did a fair job of illuminating trackage when rounding a curve....used to be "hypnotized" by their horizontal figure eight pattern, as viewed from the RF window of a Budd Vista Dome on a Burlington Zephyr......