Western Railroad Discussion > Remote Controlled Locomotive Status Lights

Many of the locomotives that are operated by grain elevators and steel mills are equipped for remote control operation and usually have a four light display mounted where the operator on the ground can see it.

IIRC the light colors are Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. Anybody have an idea on how these lights work and which light(s) are lit when?

PHall Wrote:
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> ...remote control operation and usually have a four light
> display mounted where the operator on the ground
> can see it.
>
> IIRC the light colors are Red, Yellow, Green and
> Blue. Anybody have an idea on how these lights
> work and which light(s) are lit when?

Red- stopped.
Yellow- braking.
Green- moving.
Blue- OMG! Glad I got job insurance!

Actually, I have no idea!
mapboy

Edit: C'mon- somebody please, what do the colors mean!

Not sure if this would apply to "plant facility" operations, but on the common carrier railways, "blue signal" means protection for workers; the locomotive or car with a blue light or blue flag displayed is not to be moved, coupled to (or in the case of electric powered units, energized) until work is completed and the person who placed the blue signal removes it. In the case of a remote-controlled unit, it may mean the remote control is disabled.

Blue lights represent the most restrictive indication of any color on the railroad and is the hardest color for the human eye to see.

I've seen some arrays with four lights and some with five. The much photographed Cargill geep at Verdemont, CA has five lights, as seen here:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,67507,67519#msg-67519

The only unit I've seen and videotaped in operation with such an array was the bizarre ex-Texas & Northern Cummins-engined beast at J.D. Heiskell's Tulare, CA facility. It only had a four light array. Top to bottom, the colors were red, blue, orange, and white. I never saw the red light turn on, but blue seemed to indicate "reverser set to forward," orange was "reverser set to reverse," and white appeared to be a wheelslip indicator.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've seen some arrays with four lights and some
> with five. The much photographed Cargill geep at
> Verdemont, CA has five lights, as seen here:
>
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,6
> 7507,67519#msg-67519
>
> The only unit I've seen and videotaped in
> operation with such an array was the bizarre
> ex-Texas & Northern Cummins-engined beast at J.D.
> Heiskell's Tulare, CA facility. It only had a
> four light array. Top to bottom, the colors were
> red, blue, orange, and white. I never saw the red
> light turn on, but blue seemed to indicate
> "reverser set to forward," orange was "reverser
> set to reverse," and white appeared to be a
> wheelslip indicator.


I had always been told that the white light being on meant that the radio control function was on.
And I remember something about the red light came on when the unit went into EMERGENCY.


Well, now I have enough to go on to equip an Proto 2000 Alco S-1 with some remote control lights.
Shouldn't be a problem with DCC and will look pretty neat as the lights go on and off during switching.