Did a fallen-out red signal lens ever cause a railway accident?
Upvote:14
A lot of confusion here, but a kernel of truth. The book Railroad Signaling (2003, pp. 47-49) gives a fairly detailed account of how the color coding of signals evolved over time. It mentions that the use of clear lights did fall out of favor in Britain due to the Abbots Ripton rail accident in early 1876. The signal failure wasn't the only issue, and it was swing arm stuck in the wrong position, not a missing lens.
In the United States well after 1914, multiple systems remained in use, including some with clear lights (see King 1921, esp. p. 11). The first use of the modern configuration in the United States dates to c. 1900 and it was supported by research on color-blindness. At some point the Interstate Commerce Commission banned the use of white light as a signal for "clear", but I'm unable to find out when that was and whether any specific accident may have lead to it.
More post
- ð What model was used to explain stellar energy before nuclear fusion was discovered?
- ð Which countries (or comparable geographical units) have a lower population now than they used to at some point in history before 1950?
- ð What is the original French for Napoleon's quote "When your enemy is making a false move don't disturb him"?
- ð Who is the latest famous person to have no known likeness?
- ð How did an unditching beam work?
- ð How "successful" were WWII pigeon-guided missiles?
- ð Was there a town called Munich in Jackson County, Tennessee?
- ð Why did the US, Britain, France, Denmark and Sweden vote against the UN resolution that condemned Nazism and SS glorification?
- ð Is there a student of Arnold J Toynbee with an opinion about the state and fate of Western Civilization?
- ð Why did Catholic church wait for 350 years to accept "Galileo's idea"?
- ð Abraham Lincoln Quote Background
- ð Were early accounts of ancient child prostitution accurate?
- ð Is "A state that is not able to feed itself...[is not]âĶa formidable foe" a quote by a historically known figure?
- ð What did men wear at night in the Middle Ages in Europe?
- ð What share of refugees crossed borders during WW2 and its aftermath?
- ð New Latin American navies raiding Spanish interests
- ð How to find the image of a 17th century music instruments manufacture?
- ð Is the Krishna (a god within Hinduism), an appropriated historical figure?
- ð In which banking institute was Soren Kierkegaard a customer?
- ð Did Antarctica remain entirely unvisited by humans until the early 19th century?
- ð Why is Marx more prominent than Engels?
- ð Why did trench warfare accept deadlocks?
- ð What do these lines on the origins of Hindu/Muslim communal consciousness mean?
- ð Why did people not tend to keep records or consider future consequences until very recently?
- ð Why is artist Heinrich Kley's death date unknown?
- ð How much did it cost to attend events at the ancient Roman colosseum?
- ð What gift did Saladin send to Richard when he was ill?
- ð Do we know who the Italian is?
- ð What is known of the religion/mythology/legends of the Polynesians who migrated into Oceania?
- ð What specifically did Einstein have in mind when he called the Israeli Freedom Party fascistic?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- ð Did a fallen-out red signal lens ever cause a railway accident?
- ð Did China ever consider a phonetic writing system?
- ð When did the allies find out about the killing of Jews during WW2
- ð Did Adolf Hitler ever address the fact that his own appearance was almost an exact opposite of what he considered the ideal Aryan appearance?
- ð Why did archery not make a comeback when armor was phased out in the 18th century?
- ð Did the ancient Greeks ever climb Mt. Olympus?
- ð Did ancient peoples ever hide their treasure behind puzzles?
- ð Why did China shut itself out of the world in the 15th century?
- ð Did the communication lag become a problem for the ever expanding Roman Empire?
- ð Did a kamikaze ever impact the hull of a ship, as opposed to the deck?
- ð Did Native Americans ever fight the indigenous people living in Mexico before Europeans arrived?
- ð Did this "sledge rigged like a sloop" vehicle ever exist, or was it an invention of Jules Verne?
- ð Why did the grip-centered viking shield fall out of use relative to the kite shields?
- ð When did songs extolling leaders of companies go out of fashion?
- ð How did the gold of the new world cause the Spanish Empire to collapse?
- ð Why did England consistently adopt red as their primary colour for insignia and uniform?
- ð When did the round house fall out of vernacular use throughout Britain and Ireland?
- ð Did Hitler really support Subhash Chandra Bose's cause and did he do anything to help Bose?
- ð Why did the scutum fall out of use?
- ð Did any European ever witness a major Inca religious festival?
- ð Did military operation names ever have any meaning?
- ð When did the use of fabricated speeches in historical works go out of fashion?
- ð Why did Stalin push for the Great Purge against the Red Army in 1936?
- ð Did the Byzantines ever attempt to move their capital to Rome?
- ð Did the Soviet leadership ever address the American people on American TV?
- ð Did the poor performance of the Red Army in the Winter War significantly contribute to German underestimation of the USSR's military capacity?
- ð Did Hitler ever tell a joke?
- ð Did Noah Webster ever state why he Americanized spelling?
- ð Did the Romans ever deploy troops to, or try to conquer, Ireland?
- ð Did Lord Acton ever say "freedom faces four major challenges"?