These blue beacons are located in the OS sections of passing sidings. Sometimes there are two in the section. What is it, and what is their function?
Blue usually indicates that a track has been shut down due to railroad employees working on equipment or track. Ie., housekeeping of passenger cars or maintenance. In this case I'm not sure what is going on. The bull horn type speakers you see there are usually two way so a dispatcher can hear a train in action. These are seldom seen in todays train world...as electronic sensing devices have pretty much taken over and indicate to a dispatcher where a train is. These picture have me somewhat baffled. I will be following along to see what other purposes the blue light might serve. I certainly am aware of the K-Mart blue light special. Naw!
D&RGW has these installed on the mainline, between Denver and Moffat Tunnel, that I know of; they are dragging equipment detectors. When tripped, the light will flash. Back before the days of talking detectors, I guess that once tripped, the next detectors would illuminate, telling the hogger he has a problem. They usually include apparatus like this installed on the tracks: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/629/T3_EP.jpg
Trainbooks Before we all go off w/ useless WAGs, would you please give us more info on the exact location (RR station name including state, MP etc.) of these blue lights.
Andy is right. We need to know more about this. I see in the picture CP T635 Barstow. Is this Barstow, CA.? The background doesn't resemble the Barstow I know. Unless this picture was taken near the alfalfa fields on the west end of Barstow. More info please. We need to know when you took the picture to set the era and practices of the railroads at that time. Otherwise my vote would be for an earlier drag detector. Still a blue light or blue flag doesn't seem appropriate in this application.
They have the same lights at the 2 signal shacks at the Diamonds in Rochelle. On 2 seperate occasions railfanning there the track crews were working on the diamonds and there were 2 people in the signal hut across the diamonds from the railroad park. When any train was approaching the diamonds the blue lights would start flashing and a siren would come over the pa speakers.As this would happen the track crews would vacate the diamonds to a safe area away from the tracks.When the trains past they would return to th work they were doing. Also I could here the dispatchers over the speakers between trains.
fordv10, So, it is a "Blue Flag" only the warning doesn't indicate a stopped train but rather to warn the crews of an approaching train. I'm sure there must be a slow order in effect as well. Interesting!
Sorry about being so brief. This is a NEW ctc siding at Barstow, TX on the former T&P just east of Pecos, TX. I have watched a train thru to see what this thing would do. (nothing). I though it would indicate when the train cleared the OS section, which would be useful to a train with no caboose. However, I have never seen it alarming in any fashion.
Trainbook Can you give us any more info on other RR facilities nearby? Are/is there siding(s) to the right of the box? Also are there any other RR facilities nearby? Blue flags (lights) usually indicate carman can be working on the tracks. Looked at Yahoo maps/aerials & there's not even a siding showning. Could have been added more recently though.
Thank you for the information. I would have never guessed what it was. A lot of things have changed since I marked off 26 years ago.
Could it be a warning device related to failed equipment, say the switch, or an alert device relating to communications? Say the CP has a phone on the building and there's a visual and audible warning for it.
That's what I'm thinking. The CNW east/west line has these at every CP location between Chicago to Omaha. It could also serve its purpose when there is a power outage too.
Fordv10 posted the answer on the first page of the thread: They have the same lights at the 2 signal shacks at the Diamonds in Rochelle. On 2 seperate occasions railfanning there the track crews were working on the diamonds and there were 2 people in the signal hut across the diamonds from the railroad park. When any train was approaching the diamonds the blue lights would start flashing and a siren would come over the pa speakers.As this would happen the track crews would vacate the diamonds to a safe area away from the tracks.When the trains past they would return to th work they were doing. Also I could here the dispatchers over the speakers between trains.
