Jamaica Oddities?

I was waiting for the Montauk train this evening (no service to Greenport at 4:50 pm) and I saw a blue light mounted on the platform canopy. Is it a sort of holding light?

normaly a Blue Light is a protection signal Its kind of like an out of service signal but in a temp matter.

Another question... What is with that horn on the west end of Jamaica station? It's near track 5 or 6 and it looks ancient. Just wondering.

In Jamaica, the "blue light" on the station canopy, which was fashioned by the signal department using two floodlights, is indeed a holding light. Actually it's an "all aboard light". During the rush hour, it's the train's authority to depart. It is displayed by the usher or manager when all the connections have been accounted for and the train can leave.

I believe blue lights were also used at Shea during the World's Fair, and perhaps other places as well. There are remnants of them in Penn Station, but I don't know if they served a siumilar purpose. Would be interesting for someone to look that one up.

As SRS notes normally, a blue light hung at the fouling point of a track or on the equipment indicates that men are working on or about the train. Thus, the FRA's disatisfaction with the Jamaica Blue lights... They feel that blue should only be used for that safety purpose.

Clem

Emfinite, are you reffering to the Interlocking Whistle? Most "manned" interlockings have a whistle that the Operators use to call particular crafts to the interlocking to correct problems and also to stop trains enmasse as they travel through the interlocking in leau of using "Stop" signals.