The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-12
OUR BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEM.
Danger OF Depending or COiOred lights
at Night.

at Night.
The present system OF block signals
at night is i'll adapted not to the eye alone;
it gives needless labor 10 the memory and
the attention. 1t requires the engineer
among the innumerable lights that line his
track, to distinguish those which are to
guide him from those that are of no signif-
icance to him at all.
Apy one who has ridden In the cab OF an
express locomotive during its frantic course
by night, and seen the engineer, as by q
miracle, pick out his white signal amid
a swarm OF nearby city lights OF a hue
identical with the one that must direct
him: seen him, also, with an almost mys-
FERROUS confidence rush past countless red
and green lights, knowing that they were
not for him, but were switch lights or Ian
terms guarding the rear OF some nelghoor-
ing train, or were signals for slow trains,
for crossovers and a host OF things be-
sides-as one dashes recklessly through
this maze OF colored lights, he can no longer
wonder that signals are occasionally mis-
read or unobserved. He can only marvel,
declar es George NJ. Stratton in the Century,
hat a night express ever reaches its goal
Added. then, to the perils due to the
defects Of the eye. both normal and alb
normal, the present block signals have
this serious fault; they do not stand out
distinct and apart from numberless other
lights that suddenly appear to the engineer,
but to which he is expected to give no heed:
The plan that / would propose would
be TO use throughout the t~wenty-four hours
the king Of signal which T 4 nov oou s%B pc sea
complished simply by making at night the
vane Of the ~semaphore luminous.
AS in our cities lights are arranged in
lines and letters TO catch the attention, so
here the signal could become a fiery arm
pointing outward OF down or, IL need be,
midway between these directions at will.
Such a line Of fire would be strikingly diff
ferent from the usual lights Of buildings or
OF streets. .
form, stand out entirely distinct from al
the colored lights whose use upon the rail-
way il may, in the end, seem wise to con-
tinue for purposes other than the block
signal. A continuous line OF light, more
over, would be visible at a far greater
distance than is the present single hgnt.
The glowing signal lights would best
be white and Of course should not change
in tint in order to convey their message;
This would at once remove all need OF
Discerning whether the line burned white
or green or red, with all the risk which the
distinction brings.
II IUCCIldIllCdl
ing the new form of signal would not be
great. A row Of half a dozen oil lamps
stretched along the front OF the signal arm
lamps of the type at present useo IN the
block system-could be counterpoiseo 10
prevent their interference with the proper
action of the mechanism which controls
the arm.
Even with such lanterns the new system
would lave an immense superiority over
the old, but no one should regard these
weak lights as more than a makeshilti
for what is urgently needed Is something
that will penetrate the smoke n mist
and storm, .
There would be many advantages in
using ~incandescent electric lights through
out the large AREA where a suitable cur
rent is now available-an area rapidly IN
creasing and doubtless destined soon TO
cover nearly our whole Land u dhe oo}Se st
they are liable suddenly TO fail II Tor any
reason the current lie interrupted. would
not be serious where electricity. is also
the motive power OF the tralns;, lot
should the current cease and the sigma
lights 20 out the train would at the anne
time soon be brought to a stop and
there would be no immediate danger from
the interruption.
But ON roads where electricity is not
the motive power the best illuminant Tor
the new signal would perhaps be gas stored
under pressure in tanks-eas such az is
used in many OF our railway cars or in the
gas buoys set along our shores by the
Government. Since these buoys burn un,
tended for months in storm or calm IL would
seem that such a light might venbe adapted
to illuminate the ~semaphore arm
For il a line Of oil lamps were useo the
temptation would be strong TO .eoonomize
in weight, and consequently In oil capacity
and thus 10 have only a moderate b~rtlliancy
where a powerful light is needed.