A question for the train enthusiasts out there

[R2x1]

Slightly different take. When I was young (1960) there were railcars. I travelled on several e.g. Gisborne to Wairoa.(In UISA they were called ,I think, Streamliners. To the best olf my knowledge they only carried people -not freight Can anyone advise why railcars were discontinued? .

If they were lying in the grass, they were probably just old rails that had been put out to pasture?

[Roscoe]

Slightly different take. When I was young (1960) there were railcars. I travelled on several e.g. Gisborne to Wairoa.(In UISA they were called ,I think, Streamliners. To the best olf my knowledge they only carried people -not freight Can anyone advise why railcars were discontinued? .

They had a luggage compartment at the rear. I think that they carried small parcels as well. Certainly they delivered newspapers. I travelled between Ward (80km south of Blenheim) to boarding school at Rangiora (just north of Christchurch.) That trip took most of the day.

I understand that they were discontinued because many more people were travelling by car as car ownership increased and the roads improved.

Do you remember the sign they had in the toilet? "Please do not flush the toilet while the train is standing in the station." The reason? The outlet from the toilet went straight down onto the line. So it could become a bit smelly. I don't think that I would want to be a member of the track gang in those days. They certainly would not get away with that sort of thing in this century. These days long distance passenger trains have a holding tank, thank goodness.

[Roscoe]

Another question for those wise ones out there: All trains have a red flashing, warning (?) light on the last carriage. Why is that? It's not as if there is any other train anywhere near the rear of the train.

The railway main trunk is divided up into blocks and only one train is permitted in a block at a time and to enter a block the train driver needs a track warrant (issued by control) which gives them permission to be in a particular block and no other train is allowed in that block while they are there. The only time one train sees another is on the passing loops and on parts of the main trunk where the lines are doubled up and so for safety trains are kept apart, so unless they are passing I doubt very much that one train would be anywhere behind another train and if they were in a position where they could see the rear of another train they would be on a line beside - not behind - that train.

So I just do not know why there would be a flashing light on the rear of a train. Hopefully there is a train enthusiast out there who can elucidate me. Thank you.

[pcuser42]

It's not as if there is any other train anywhere near the rear of the train.

This is an assumption I've seen hi-rails at least follow a train very closely:



Locomotives rescuing a broken down train would also need to enter an occupied section.

The purpose of the light though is generally for the crew of the train itself, and for lineside workers, to ensure the train is complete - if there's no light on the end, something has probably come off.

[Roscoe]

I've seen hi-rails at least follow a train very closely:

What are hi-rails and where did you see them?

[pcuser42]

What are hi-rails and where did you see them?

Hi-rails are road vehicles that can also travel on rails. Most of the time you'll see them around track work sites, but they're also used for track inspection (there's one that goes past home on rails at least once a week).

[Roscoe]

Hi-rails are road vehicles that can also travel on rails. Most of the time you'll see them around track work sites, but they're also used for track inspection (there's one that goes past home on rails at least once a week).

Ah, now I know what you mean. I did not know they were called that. I wondered if that was another name for jiggers. Do they still use jiggers?

[kenj]

Only for jiga jig

Ken

[pcuser42]

Do they still use jiggers?

Long gone, only on heritage railways now.

[R2x1]

Another question for those wise ones out there: All trains have a red flashing, warning (?) light on the last carriage. Why is that? It's not as if there is any other train anywhere near the rear of the train.

The railway main trunk is divided up into blocks and only one train is permitted in a block at a time and to enter a block the train driver needs a track warrant (issued by control) which gives them permission to be in a particular block and no other train is allowed in that block while they are there. The only time one train sees another is on the passing loops and on parts of the main trunk where the lines are doubled up and so for safety trains are kept apart, so unless they are passing I doubt very much that one train would be anywhere behind another train and if they were in a position where they could see the rear of another train they would be on a line beside - not behind - that train.

So I just do not know why there would be a flashing light on the rear of a train. Hopefully there is a train enthusiast out there who can elucidate me. Thank you.

That flashing red light is a steady red light made by Lucas.