Safetran lenses

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Has anyone else noticed that the new Safetran yellow
lights aren't yellow? They are ORANGE! Say what you
want, but they are not the fog piercing cadmium yellow
they once were. We have mentioned this fact at the
safety workshop, but it has fallen on deaf ears. 

You should see the "Advance Approach" signal at
Troutville! In the daylight, the top "Approach" can be
easily seen, but the bottom remains as if it is hidden
until you get very close to the signal. This is not
the way to run a RR people!!!

Jimmy Lisle


Date: Sat, 30 Apr 2005 01:54:59 -0700 (PDT) 
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> 
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject:  Re: Safetran Yellow is ORANGE!!!

Jimmy,

I noticed that fact from the beginning.  You are 100
percent accurate, it is indeed orange.  And no, they
do not penetrate the fog the same way that the US&S
"no violet" Yellow roundels do.
 
Now, for the Troutville signal you mentioned, that
problem should be easily corrected by a signal
maintainer.  The lower arm is obviously off target,
and needs to be adjusted.  This is easily done.  All
arms have a sighter built into them.  Not only that,
but the light beam is also easily adjustable for a
close range observation, or a far distant one.  All
this is adjustable, which is supposted to be part of
the "advantage" of these new signals.
 
When they put up these things on the Bristol Line in
97 I talked to a few of the guys on the signal gang
and they showed me what all these new signals can do. 
Actually, some of the new ideas are pretty smart. 
There's some signals that the whole arm assembly can
be lowered to the ground to adjust it or do
maintainence without the need for a ladder or cherry
picker.  
 
Of course, I'm partial to the old signals.  "If it
ain't broke, don't fix it!"
 
Ben Blevins


Hello, Jimmy and Ben:

One of the interesting design of glass lenses on color
signals was that the outer area (what I will call the
iris, as in one's eye) was concentric rings designed
for distant viewing.  In the center were parallel bars
in the glass (i.e. the pupil) that focused the light
towards the engineer just before passing the signal. 
This inner segment of bars was rotated about 75
degrees so that it was aimed at an angle towards the
track.

If these are used on Safetran signals, it is an
enhancement not present on color position signals. 
The original design of the conical amber lenses
included a frosted tip so that direct sunlight would
not enter the lamp housing and yield a false
indication.  Later red, yellow, and green lenses are
not designed the same and therefore lack this feature.
 The internal mirror was angled downward so that light
shining in through the lens is not reflected ourward;
the light source has to be the bulb.  That
construction detail remained in the US&S signals, even
though lenses were changed.

Clever folks, those signal engineers!

73,

Frank 



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