# "Marker-signal" lights?



## MattW (Feb 25, 2009)

I was playing MSTS earlier and noticed that on the Amcans, there were two lights that went from yellow with no headlight, green with dim headlight, and off with full headlight. Granted, it's MSTS and may not be 100% accurate, but I've also noticed it particularly on Superliners in real life [pictures].

Does this light serve any purpose?


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## amtrak_russ (Feb 26, 2009)

MattW said:


> I was playing MSTS earlier and noticed that on the Amcans, there were two lights that went from yellow with no headlight, green with dim headlight, and off with full headlight. Granted, it's MSTS and may not be 100% accurate, but I've also noticed it particularly on Superliners in real life [pictures].Does this light serve any purpose?


These lights on the sides of the cars are to let the engineer and train crew know which car's brakes are applied or not. The green light indicated that the brakes are released on the car. The yellow light indicated that the brake is applied and the red light indicated a emergency application (not all cars have a red light). This also helps to alert the crew if a car's brakes are still applied or stick while moving.


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## jackal (Feb 26, 2009)

Interesting! I always thought those were door indicator lights, but that makes more sense.

Alaska Railroad passenger cars have yellow plungers that stick out of the side of the car to indicate the brakes are applied. Serves the same function but in a lower-tech way, I guess.


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## printman2000 (Feb 26, 2009)

jackal said:


> Interesting! I always thought those were door indicator lights, but that makes more sense.
> Alaska Railroad passenger cars have yellow plungers that stick out of the side of the car to indicate the brakes are applied. Serves the same function but in a lower-tech way, I guess.


Yeah, the older cars used the plunger. The guy at the LA shops showed us one on a PPC. I would assume they would be a lot harder to see than the lights.

Also, IIRC, the Superliners do not have the red lights.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Feb 26, 2009)

Somewhere buried in my collection I have a Superliner (I) shop manual and it explains the 3 lights indicate brakes applied, brakes off and brake test. Right off hand, I cannot recall which color was which, but lately I've noticed the Superliners have been using only 2 lights.


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## printman2000 (Feb 26, 2009)

Looking through a bunch of my pics, it seems the Superliner II's only have two lights, yellow and green.

The Superliner I's also only have yellow and green but it looks like there was a place for a third light that has since been removed.


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## battalion51 (Feb 26, 2009)

Many commuter cars have a "door open" light on the side of the car since the cars generally have automatic doors. This allows the Conductor and Engineer to spot the train and make sure there hasn't been a malfunction prior to pulling from the station. As far as brake indicators go, it's decently helpful, especially since it'll show a car with the hand brakes applied. And it makes for a cool sight when running at night.


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## jackal (Feb 26, 2009)

battalion51 said:


> Many commuter cars have a "door open" light on the side of the car since the cars generally have automatic doors. This allows the Conductor and Engineer to spot the train and make sure there hasn't been a malfunction prior to pulling from the station. As far as brake indicators go, it's decently helpful, especially since it'll show a car with the hand brakes applied. And it makes for a cool sight when running at night.


Will it really?!? I wouldn't have suspected--I would have thought it was actuated by air off of the triple valve or something. Makes sense that it would show handbrakes, too, though (and could just be actuated off of the connecting rods from the brake linkages themselves).

I only ever tied a handbrake on one passenger car, and the air brakes were applied anyway (not that I remembered to look at the plunger, but still...).


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## printman2000 (Mar 10, 2009)

I was noticing the picture on the AGR site today and this thread came to mind.

http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/

Notice that Amfleet has the three lights. I find it interesting that the green light is on (which means the brakes are disengaged) while someone is getting off the train.

In my limited Amfleet experience, I never saw a car with working lights.


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## inspiration100 (Mar 10, 2009)

Interesting thread. I too was always curious what those lights meant. Whenever I'm on an amtrak train, they have always been red. Now I see why.


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2009)

The Amfleet-1's have a red light above the vestibule doors so the conductor can see if any of the doors are open on a corridor train when he has keyed all the doors open.


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## Long Train Runnin' (Mar 11, 2009)

printman2000 said:


> I was noticing the picture on the AGR site today and this thread came to mind.
> http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/
> 
> Notice that Amfleet has the three lights. I find it interesting that the green light is on (which means the brakes are disengaged) while someone is getting off the train.
> ...


Wow, I see what your saying in the AGR pic. That the door is open and the brakes are off. I mean I know that the picture was created for the site and not just a snap shot, but still interesting. Does anyone know what station that is?


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## transit54 (Mar 11, 2009)

Long Train Runnin said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> > I was noticing the picture on the AGR site today and this thread came to mind.
> ...


Looks like Stamford, CT, but I can't be competely sure, as I'm not 100% familiar with all the stops south of NYP.


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## AlanB (Mar 11, 2009)

Looks like Stamford to me too. But then Stamford doesn't have redcap either.


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## transit54 (May 11, 2009)

I was just looking at a photo on Railpictures.net and recalled this discussion about where the AGR photo was taken.

It seems to be Boston South Station.

See: http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=283162&nseq=16

And: http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/


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## Long Train Runnin' (May 11, 2009)

rnizlek said:


> I was just looking at a photo on Railpictures.net and recalled this discussion about where the AGR photo was taken.
> It seems to be Boston South Station.
> 
> See: http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=283162&nseq=16
> ...


Looks right to me and there are Red Caps in BOS


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## printman2000 (May 17, 2009)

Found a youtube video today which shows the marker lights changing on Superliners. When the trains gets ready to depart, you can see all the light change color.


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