Railway Signals - Burlington/Northern Engineers?

Question

Hi. I'm an aide on a Special Needs School bus and we cross the Railway tracks several times a day. Every time we do this, one of my students looks down the track for the signal. We notice that it is either a double red, a red and white, a double white, or completely off.

Our last two crossings usually happen just before a passenger train heading north and a passenger train heading south comes through.

These are not the signals for vehicles and their drivers but for the trains and their engineers. Do you know where we can find the information out on what the specific color combinations mean?

Or can you tell me?

Thank you

Answer 1

The different lighting combinations (called "aspects") are standardized.  Where "modified" for specific locations, the meanings are covered in local notification via Timetable or other means.  There are many possible combinations, each conveying information to the train crew, either relative to "route" to be taken, where there are multiple (two or more) tracks, as well as track "occupancy", that is, how far ahead a preceding train may be.

There can be three or more lights in a column, but usually there are found two "units" on the signal "head" atop the signal "mast,"  to the side of the track, or on a signal "bridge" spanning multiple tracks. The different color combinations you are seeing tell the engineer which track he will proceed on and whether that track is clear or a train is ahead, or if he needs to be prepared to stop short of an upcoming signal.  "Double Red" is always "STOP."

Though some signals are continuously lighted, most are "approach activated," and are dark until a train is approaching, already within the signal circuit.  That is why, when on those occasions you see them illuminated, a train is usually on the scene.  Tell your students and anyone else you care about that if you see a lighted signal, even if you don't see or hear a train, the odds are one is very close at hand, none the less.  A  lighted signal is a warning to you.  Respect  it as if it were a shark's fin cutting across the water you are in.  You can't see or hear what it's attatched to, but it's bad news.

A good question.  And, very observant.  You are exactly the right type of person for current your profession.  If all who cross railroad tracks were as attentive as your student who posed the question, the yearly number of the dead and maimed would take a major nose dive, guaranteed...  and that gets a star.  Here's yours.  Pass it on to the special person who asked the questions.  Stay safe !

Answer 2

red means stop, just like normal red. A train signal light will show red on the track all the time unless there is specifically a train coming with clearance to go (so if no train is coming it will show red.)

Answer 3

Well to give you the short version the top light you see governs the main track and the bottom one governs a diverging route such as going to a siding or to another main line.The double red just means stop.The red over a white(which in railroad terms is called a lunar signal)means proceed on the diverging route at restricted speed.When they are off it just means no trains are in the circuit to activate the signal.As a safety note if you are in an area where the signals are train activated and they are lit up it's a good bet that a train is approaching that location.We also have signals that are flashing yellow,yellow,and green.The flashing yellow means proceed prepared to stop at the second signal and slow down to 40 mph.A yellow means slow down to 30 mph and be ready to stop at the next signal.Green means go.We have other combinations of those signals we use too,but those are the main ones we work with.Hope that helps explain it to you.

Bob i didn't see your post til after i answered. I see we think alike about the warning for signals being lit and trains being near.

Answer 4

Here is a diagram of some of the signals that we use on the railroad.  This is not all of the signals that i have seen, but it will give you a description of what the signals mean.

http://www.america-n.de/Module/HT/gcor-s...

never heard of white over white.  i have seen white over red, and red over white

white (lunar) is the same as flashing red