Patent ID: 8529107

Claim:
A system for illumination of a feature of a railway, the railway including a railroad track having plurality of ties, the plurality of ties including an extended length tie, and a switch for switching a route of a traveling train, the switch being switchable between a primary position in which a traveling train can be routed from a primary track to a through track, and a switched position in which a traveling train can be routed from a primary track to a secondary track, the switch having a switchstand component supported on the extended length tie, the railway having a rail assembly supported on the plurality of ties, the rail assembly having first and second elongated rails, wherein the rail assembly is supported at a certain elevation, wherein the system comprises: an illumination unit supported on the extended length tie in an area of the extended length tie between the first rail and the switch component, the illumination unit having a light source bank, the light source bank including a first light source that comprises a central emission vector extending in a first direction that is substantially horizontal and at the certain elevation; and wherein the illumination unit includes a solar panel for collecting solar energy, and a rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery for energizing the light source bank and being rechargeable utilizing solar energy collected by the solar panel.