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Sunday, August 31, 2025

Amtrak's New Position Light Configuration

Following from Pennsylvania railroad practices, Amtrak used the following two configurations for all of its "complete" position color light mast signals at interlockings. They either have a lunar white Restricting \, or they don't. In both cases the single central lunar white Stop and Proceed marker has been retained.  


While most other North American railroads have shifted to using Restricted Proceed in place of Stop and Proceed, Amtrak, and the NORAC rulebook for whom Amtrak is the biggest member, have both retained the Stop and Proceed practice.  


So consider my surprise when saw the recently installed colorized position light signals at Amtrak's new LEGGETT interlocking on the Hellgate Line. The restricting \ is present, but, please correct me if I am wrong, I believe this is the first time I have seen Amtrak PL interlocking signals without a Stop and Proceed marker. 
 

Part of  the Penn Station Access Project, these colorized position lights are the first of many that will wipe out the last stretch of amber position lights on the NEC (PHIL is a point, not a stretch) and they appear to indicate a shift at Amtrak towards that all important stop before entering an occupied block.

In case your wondering the typical Amtrak signal progression is to display a Stop and Proceed if there is an obstruction within the interlocking limits and a Restricting (if available) if the interlocking is clear, but the block beyond is not. The stop certainly seems like a worthwhile safety precaution, but the distinction between it and Restricted proceed is minimal, mostly just the salience of entering a stretch of track with an obstruction or broken rail. 
 

As you can see the new signals on the replacement Portal Bridge have retained the Stop and Proceed marker, but that project was designed and specified some years before Penn Station Access. So it remains to be seen if this is the shape of things to come, or a one off trial. 

 

 

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