Lol - you're such a nerd! But since I know well what your reference is, that makes me one too! Live long and prosper, Emily! And keep 'em coming! By the way - anyone know why there are 10 lights?
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Locomotive drag racing?
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Good One.
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I just said to my wife, "I'm such a nerd because I know what this is in reference too" (there are ten lights). I'm glad I'm not alone....
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I wondered when Star Trek was going to be quoted here. I can officially say I have more Train shows than Star Trek shows. All I need now is Trains action figures. Oh, wait, My model railroad counts.
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Would love to know the answer to this one.
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I'm glad to know there are some Star Trek fans out there in the railfan world that got the joke. I was seriously unsure whether there would be any. The mind blowing fact, however, is that the episode in question aired in 1992, yet we still remember!
As for the lights, I'm not too sure of their use. I got a tour of the grounds and I was told they were used for some training purpose, but not the specific usage. I don't believe they were used in the conductor training, but perhaps for some other type of training. I'll see if I can follow up and ask.
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This is total speculation, but I think that they might be used for training in distance judgment. If you are on the head end or riding the rear end and moving toward them, you will first see the top lights, then more pairs as you get closer. This is a classic example of a railroad using parts they have on hand to fulfill some purpose.
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| Posted by Andrew on June 6, 2016 | |
With regard to Wayne's comment, I remember being told by some safety people that the colour red is the worst colour to be chosen for marking the rear end of vehicles. Road as well as track. It is the hardest to correctly judge the distance that you are from the light. When driving I usually judge the distance from the vehicle in front by the white light on the number plate.
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IIRC, this was the signal NS used to test various LEDs to see which one they liked the best. There were either 5 or 10 different models of LED on that signal. Underneath each one, there appears to be a label telling what model it is as well.
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