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Buffers
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RailUK Forums
ralphchadkirk
Established Member
I think it's because you can't put a red buffer signal next to a running line.
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driver9000
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The colour of the lights denote the lamps that are left on the end of a vehicle facing the stops. White lights on the stops mean that white lights are left on the vehicle. The north end of Wigan NW is a good place to see this, the stops on the short necks have white lights which I remember being told the reason behind it is to avoid the driver of an up train being faced with red lights while they came round the bend at up to 80mph.
lincolnshire
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At Hull Paragon its red electric light in all the platforms and in the shunt neck its a white electric light on the buffer stop end and I understand this is only on shunt necks where trains just shunt in and out of them. Platform have trains stabled in them.
Old Timer
Established Member
Buffer stop lights are now only provided where there is a signalled route from a main aspect towards them.
Historically buffer stops were only lit where passenger trains approached them. Siding buffer stops were not normally lit.
During the blackout however it was necessary to light all buffer stops and place red lights on the ends of vehicles standing in sidings because of the number of collisions that were occurring.
The practice of lighting buffer stop lamps and placing lamps on vehicles stabled in sidings continued into the 70s. I wonder if anybody here is old enough to remember the Saturday morning turn which used to go round the yard and refill and clean the oil lamps ?
With the advent of MAS it was necessary to standardise on signalling principles and thus it became the practice that main aspect signals would only clear to a proceed aspect if it was proved that the buffer stop light was operational. The reason for this is that under MAS a signal can only clear a main aspect to another signal and thus buffer stop lights became the signal at the exit of the route.
In the early years, the signal leading to the buffer stops would clear to a green, but this was later modified as it was contrary to the signalling principles - a signal may only display the aspect related to the next signal ahead. Thus a green to red (buffer stop light) was contrary to the principles.
All new installations from the mid 70s onwards were interlocked so that the signal leading to a buffer stop only dispalyed a single yellow.
The standard colour of the buffer stop lamps (they are duplicated in the same way as signal lamp filaments) is red, except where there is a likelihood of causing confusion to an approaching driver. Such decisions are made by the signal sighting committee.
Vehicles left on lines which have illuminated buffer stops must display the relevant coloured light, either red or white towards approaching movements.
It has not been a requirement for many years now that vehicles left in sidings have a red light placed on them. The requirement by exception which applied to protecting OTM with lamps flags and detonators was withdrawn around 10 years ago.
Historically buffer stops were only lit where passenger trains approached them. Siding buffer stops were not normally lit.
During the blackout however it was necessary to light all buffer stops and place red lights on the ends of vehicles standing in sidings because of the number of collisions that were occurring.
The practice of lighting buffer stop lamps and placing lamps on vehicles stabled in sidings continued into the 70s. I wonder if anybody here is old enough to remember the Saturday morning turn which used to go round the yard and refill and clean the oil lamps ?
With the advent of MAS it was necessary to standardise on signalling principles and thus it became the practice that main aspect signals would only clear to a proceed aspect if it was proved that the buffer stop light was operational. The reason for this is that under MAS a signal can only clear a main aspect to another signal and thus buffer stop lights became the signal at the exit of the route.
In the early years, the signal leading to the buffer stops would clear to a green, but this was later modified as it was contrary to the signalling principles - a signal may only display the aspect related to the next signal ahead. Thus a green to red (buffer stop light) was contrary to the principles.
All new installations from the mid 70s onwards were interlocked so that the signal leading to a buffer stop only dispalyed a single yellow.
The standard colour of the buffer stop lamps (they are duplicated in the same way as signal lamp filaments) is red, except where there is a likelihood of causing confusion to an approaching driver. Such decisions are made by the signal sighting committee.
Vehicles left on lines which have illuminated buffer stops must display the relevant coloured light, either red or white towards approaching movements.
It has not been a requirement for many years now that vehicles left in sidings have a red light placed on them. The requirement by exception which applied to protecting OTM with lamps flags and detonators was withdrawn around 10 years ago.
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