Why is restricting white?

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mach69
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Why is restricting white?

Unread post by mach69 »

On US railroads, particularly those in the eastern half, why is Restricting indicated with a white light? UP and BNSF use flashing red, which I thought is more intuitive.

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SD80MAC
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Re: Why is restricting white?

Unread post by SD80MAC »

Because you’re not going to mistake it for anything else.
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Buster Manning
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Re: Why is restricting white?

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Who uses white?

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David Collins
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Re: Why is restricting white?

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Buster Manning wrote:
Mon Oct 25, 2021 7:52 pm
Who uses white?
CSX
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Saturnalia
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Re: Why is restricting white?

Unread post by Saturnalia »

More railroads used to use white, but moved away from it because in theory, if you shot out the colored lens on a color-light signal, you'd end up with a white light, which could lead to a false Restricting signal versus a Stop.

Meanwhile, white is harder to integrate into searchlights because they're really only intended to have three roundels for color: red, yellow and green.

While I like "white is restricting and nothing else", honestly the same holds true for a flashing red. I also hate to think of how many additional lamps, and their cost, that CSX has undertaken in re-signalling basically the entire railroad and providing nearly all Control Points with restricting aspects. It definitely saves a ton of lamps to go with the flashing red.
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kd_1014
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Re: Why is restricting white?

Unread post by kd_1014 »

Restricting on a searchlight is red over yellow IIRC

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Re: Why is restricting white?

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kd_1014 wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:23 pm
Restricting on a searchlight is red over yellow IIRC
That's a Medium approach
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C&O Dispatcher
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Re: Why is restricting white?

Unread post by C&O Dispatcher »

David Collins wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:32 pm
kd_1014 wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:23 pm
Restricting on a searchlight is red over yellow IIRC
That's a Medium approach
All depends on the signal rules in effect. On the original C&O indications, red over yellow on a high signal, or single yellow on a dwarf was Restricting. Medium Approach was red/yellow/yellow.

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Saturnalia
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Re: Why is restricting white?

Unread post by Saturnalia »

kd_1014 wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:23 pm
Restricting on a searchlight is red over yellow IIRC
Some railroads used lunar for restricting, I believe by replacing one of the lenses with a white one inside the signal body, usually the green on a lower head, for instance.

The type of physical apparatus does not change the signal aspect. Ultimately, they're all just different ways of displaying lights.
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mach69
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Re: Why is restricting white?

Unread post by mach69 »

kd_1014 wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:23 pm
Restricting on a searchlight is red over yellow IIRC
That's on NS, most or all of Canada, and many CSX/NS ex-Conrail lines.

On CSX it's Medium to Stop (Medium Approach).

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Re: Why is restricting white?

Unread post by bnsfben »

David Collins wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:32 pm
kd_1014 wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:23 pm
Restricting on a searchlight is red over yellow IIRC
That's a Medium approach
On CN in Michigan that’s restricting. Medium approach is R/Y/R. Restricting is R/Y

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