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LOCOMOTIVE ROOFTOP BEACONS

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  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
  • 11,919 posts
Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 10:49 PM

Never observed one on either a N&W unit or a SOU RR unit.  Nor the conbined NS.  Anyone see different ?  What about CR and predecessors  and if so any to NS or CSX ?

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: South Central,Ks
  • 7,170 posts
Posted by samfp1943 on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 11:24 PM

blue streak 1

Never observed one on either a N&W unit or a SOU RR unit.  Nor the conbined NS.  Anyone see different ?  What about CR and predecessors  and if so any to NS or CSX ?

 

 

   Strobe lights were 'mandated' in 'Regulations' for visibility enhancements, IIRC in the 1990's (?).       [ This was done before the mandated addition of the Triangular Ditch Light configuration.]    AMTRAK had them installed on all their road power, at one time.  SLSF RR was another line with rooftop strobes on their road freight power units.      I think there were initially three strobe lights, one in the top center(forward?) on the cab, and one on each side of the cab roof.  I seem to recall that there was a lot of discussion about the 'pulses' and intensity of the strobes on the locomotive crews,and their attention to watching out of the locomotives(?).         

  The flashing strobes got pretty obnoxious for the Crews of AMTRAK trains, and others in the area of the AMTRAK locomotives.

In this current time of history. about the only mandated flashing lights are on the cabs of radio controled locomotives .

Here is a linked site that has a lot of info on railroads, and their use of strobe lights, before the era of Ditch Lights.

See @ http://www.trainweb.org/gyra/strobe.htm

 

 

 


 

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