Wes
The marker lights on the DZ's observation car Silver Veranda were
green or blue. When I saw it, I was puzzled, because I thought they
were supposed to be red.
sjl
--- In BRHSlist@y..., Wes Leatherock <wleath@s...> wrote:
>
> You're basically correct in the reason for trains running
> in more than one section, but the green flags or green lights
> were displayed on the front of the engine were classification
> lights ("class lights" or signals), not marker lights.
>
> Marker lights were displayed at the end of the train. A
> train without marker lights is not complete; in fact, under
> the rules it is not a train.
>
> The last section did not carry green signals. Green signals
> meant one or more sections were following. Whistle signals were
> prescribed to call the attention of trains being met or passed to
> the green signals (following section) because the schedule was
> not fulfilled until the last section passed. This whistle
> signals was required to be acknowledged by a whistle signal
> from the train being met or passed.
>
> Multiple sections could also be used as a convenience
> to provide a schedule for a business train, a troop train,
> or other special movements.
>
> White signals designated an extra train. Many railroads
> ran all freight trains as extras.
>
>
> Wes Leatherock
> wleath@s...
>
>
> On Mon, 4 Jun 2001, Stephen J. Levine wrote:
> > The 1956 Denver Zephyr during the summers or winter holidays would
have so much
> > business that one train could not carry it all. So the train
would be split in
> > two and additional cars added to each of the two sections.
> >
> > Particularly in the winter, they would run two sections because
the train was
> > steam heated and there was a maximum number of cars you could
reliably heat
> > without the steam line freezing.
> >
> > During the winter holidays in 1966, I rode the Denver Zephyr to
and from
> > Chicago. As I rode, as I always did on the Zephyr, slumbercoach,
I was in the
> > rear section of the train. That section consisted of everything
from the
> > Observation car through the Chuckwagon. It also included a mail
car and several
> > baggage cars. If I recall, the section was 12 cars long and was
pulled by 3 E
> > units. It was weird looking through the front door of the
chuckwagon and seeing
> > the solid door of the mail car.
> >
> > Coming back, both sections shared a platform in Chicago, and,
believe it or not,
> > the diners were positioned right across from each other. That on
the
> > Chuckwagon-rearward section was the Silver Chef, and that on the
coach section
> > was the Silver Feast. Talk about appropriateness with the feast
in front of the
> > chef. Interestingly the Chuckwagon-rearward section operated as
first number 1
> > and the coaches as second #1. In Colorado, I noticed green marker
lights on the
> > Silver Veranda while riding in the Silver Cup Chuckwagon Dome.
(Green marker
> > lights indicate a section following.).
> >
> > sjl
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