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Good morning--<br><br>I was just curious if anybody out there is familiar with what the meanings of all the various signal configurations are for the CTC block signals on the Class Is are. For example: Obviously red, yellow and green are like auto traffic signals. I've seen some blocks with a flashing red or flashing yellow. What do they mean? For that matter, has anyone out there seen a flashing green? Second, this may sound somewhat strange to ask, but are these blocks only for the benefit/purpose of alerting immediately oncoming trains? Let's say, for example, you have an eastbound train. Obviously, the block facing to the west is going to go on to alert that oncoming eastbound to go, stop, or slow down. My experience has been that the block signal facing east does not actually go on until after the eastbound train has passed it (which seems kind of ridiculous to me, since any train coming from the opposite direction would see the headlights before they'd see the block signal anyway). If the piece of track is heavily trafficked, why wouldn't it make sense for the eastbound block to go red BEFORE the actual eastbound passes it, to alert any potential westbound train that something will come soon? Third, is there any indication that block signals are now fewer and farther between, and/or that the big roads are gradually phasing them out in certain locations, in much the same way as the telegraph poles have been/are? Finally, since (I guess) these blocks are activated/deactivated from somebody in a single control tower, is there any rule about how far away the controllers are? Can (and do) the controllers in Kansas City (for example) control the block lights going into LA? If we ever get a coast-to-coast Class One merger, would that system still hold?<br><br>Riprap<br><br>Riprap<br>
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