Happy wording .

To re edit work on my signal lens folder or just keep on.. going on? or just omit the problem by not using problem words when describing a color.

 

LEMON

AMBER

YELLOW.

 

BLUE

PURPLE

COBALT .

 

Tomato Tomahto: dismissing a noted or claimed or supposed difference between two things as trivial.

 

It boils down to common sense if one is versed in signaling and railroad operating practices that appearance of color

denotes its self as a high signal or low signal . a high signal needs to transmit at a greater distance while a low signal transmits at a shorter distance .

The greater the speed, a signal must be observed at a longer distances for an engineman to react to what the signal is conveying.

For slower speeds a darker signal aspect is used .

a dark yellow would never be placed in a high signal block or home signal with the exception of YELLOW (D) used in Approach signals with A marker. therefore

out of the six AAR colors, three colors RED , GREEN and YELLOW do have variations of lighter and darker transmissions values .

YELLOW is YELLOW either lighter or darker in these versions

"LEMON" and "AMBER" are mentioned as descriptions in the

Railroad Signaling 1929 book

 

" poor red " is a term mentioned referencing what inexperienced observers sees in yellow signals .

 

Do i take "inexperienced" as.. being non railroad employed as the observer? While a way to describe the development of yellow glass what was interesting is the use of "orange" all be it, meaning, while developing a yellow glass which worked with a yellow flame , will not carry any amount of RED to be observed in the developmental stage .

 

A small excerpt : 'The colors used in railway signaling for long distance indications are red, yellow, green and sometimes

lunar white. For short distance indications blue and

purple are used and in addition a lemon yellow is used

with position-light signals to distinguish them as signals

from other lights. The reason for the choice of the

above mentioned colors,'

 

While It was written, For "shorter distances", where is yellow's darker form? that blue and purple is used as a comparison.

 

My own thoughts as this is a runaway monster of color inaccuracies.

 

Being historically accurate we all do our best and it seems even in 1908 when standardization was born, developed by 1918 implemented by 1934 , there are voids in documentation . better research and documentation of developments in written form seem to progress after 1928.

Terms even they used e.g. lemon yellow , amber , Admiralty Green and these are railway signal books of the time. to describe colors .

 

Describe / Perceived .

perceived color today especially today and how we each call

a color while back in developing a standard color to be accurate i don't think splitting hairs about color accuracy about a lens being sold by the general public not having firstly, any care of historical accuracy as for : PURPLE compared to BLUE as many refer as "cobalt" , for railroad historians and collectors and most likely not all railroad collectors would care they just think the color is cool or some of us that like the historical accuracy knows the difference and its correct use and terminology for a display.

 

To define the Association of American Railroads standard of AAR PURPLE and AAR BLUE. excluding the use of the word cobalt .

While for many people a side by side comparison generally BLUE and PURPLE all that is observed is a dark blue of cobalt .

 

YELLOW: is it lemon or amber? Is it considered YELLOW (L)

or YELLOW (D). meaning YELLOW light . YELLOW dark.

 

RED: this also applies RED (L) , RED (D) meaning RED light , RED dark.

 

GREEN: GREEN (L) , GREEN (D) meaning GREEN light . GREEN dark.

 

as for these shade differences i can live with using (L) and (D)

with these varieties .

 

Now with true accuracy .

Observances at interlocking locations:

One thing that i personally discovered at many interlocking locations and comparing findings with actual maintainers interlocking station diagrams where signal foundations of high signals, home signals , approach signals and dwarf .

 

Color consistency of roundel fragments at the base of a home signal have been mostly CORNING some flat and some CVX

very few of CLEAR and the GREEN has all been consistent and RED.

 

majority of LQ dwarf has been a mix but mostly CVX CORNING majority of YELLOW (D) and RED (D) some of the locations where a "light" YELLOW fragment of a RDL had been used then damaged .

One location showed a diverse use of lenses being used at a mechanical LQ dwarf with a pile of broken roundels near the base including KOPP RDL type CORNING CVX all 5 3/8 dia. CLEAR RED(D) YELLOW (D) and (L) .. and STIMSONITE RED and GREEN fragments . and those have been of the lighter shades.

The Approach signal locations have been YELLOW (D). no exceptions .

 

One of the reasons for scouting base locations was idle curiosity when i was young but revisited these locations armed with interlocking diagrams for the main purpose to locate what LQ dwarfs may have had back spectacles .

Of all the locations with known back spectacles, i have not found any fragment of broken roundels probably due to the smaller diameter size of these roundels there's not much to a 2 7/8 lens what ever fragments fell would be very small .

 

So maybe with a bit of re editing my signal glass folder

i could use "light" and "dark" and forgo the use of off fact, terms such as cobalt , amber , Kelly , lemon , admiral , and stick with just the six colors . Then

there is that pesky question of describing those lenses of 1905 and prior, where some color variations can be found with any color .

 

again is there a possibility of a bad batch of glass not exactly conforming to or a set standard before the date of standardization was set in stone? I still revert to a lens in my collection a 1905 RED which is very much a early signal glass

but being in the orange a bit than RED . possibly chemicals

in the glass batch during a press run was not mixed thoroughly. This lens is not a one of as i have seen one before but not lucky to obtain it i have just one example in my collection.

What about BLUE in 1905 while it looks either PURPLE or BLUE again its a shade off and is indeed BLUE . sadly the CORNING 1905 BLUE FSO is a wreck too pockmarked chipped to make its way into the file but i still retain the lens .

 

 

and as i write this one thing came to mind about BLUE and PURPLE and nit picking over perceived colors, i thought this quote fitting but it only is understood for those who follow Blackadder .

 

Percy: You know, they do say that the Infanta's eyes are more beautiful than the famous Stone of Galveston.

 

Edmund: Mm! ... What?

 

Percy: The famous Stone of Galveston, My Lord.

 

Edmund: And what's that, exactly?

 

Percy: Well, it's a famous blue stone, and it comes ... from Galveston.

 

Edmund: I see. And what about it?

 

Percy: Well, My Lord, the Infanta's eyes are bluer than it, for a start.

 

Edmund: I see. And have you ever seen this stone?

 

Percy: No, not as such my Lord, but I know a couple of people who have, and they say it's very very blue indeed.

 

Edmund: And have these people seen the Infanta's eyes?

 

Percy: No, I shouldn't think so, My Lord.

 

Edmund: And neither have you, presumably.

 

Percy: No, my Lord.

 

Edmund: So, what you're telling me, Percy, is that something you have never seen is slightly less blue than something else you have never seen.

 

Percy: Yes, my Lord.

Done