[PRR-talk] Markers and classification lights

[bobsin at verizon.net]

On 1 Jan 2008 at 16:53, Peter Weiglin wrote:

> Note that if a train has more than one section, all but the last
> section carry green lights on the front; and only the last section
> carries markers (the red ones on the rear).

Can it be true that a section, running at night and not clear of main track, could display no red 
lights at all to the rear?  This appears to disagree with all the references I can find.  (In 
Josserand's Rights of Trains there is an interesting example of a train running against the 
current of traffic where there are three or more main tracks, in which case yellow markers are 
displayed to rear, but even then a red light must be displayed "on the platform or the cupola" -
- with two main tracks one marker is red, and the one next to the other main track is yellow, 
when running against the current of traffic. Did PRR follow these practices?)  When trains 
were clear of main track, yellow was often displayed to the rear; PC C.T. 400, 1968, states in 
Rule 19, "On main tracks where no form of block system is in use, yellow displayed to the 
rear when train is clear of main track."

John Bobsin