Why is restricting white?
Why is restricting white?
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.
- SD80MAC
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Re: Why is restricting white?
Because you’re not going to mistake it for anything else.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
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Re: Why is restricting white?
Who uses white?
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Re: Why is restricting white?
CSX
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- Saturnalia
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Re: Why is restricting white?
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.
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.
Re: Why is restricting white?
Restricting on a searchlight is red over yellow IIRC
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Re: Why is restricting white?
That's a Medium approach
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Re: Why is restricting white?
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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Re: Why is restricting white?
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.
Re: Why is restricting white?
On CN in Michigan that’s restricting. Medium approach is R/Y/R. Restricting is R/Y