BNSF 2096 still has classification lights!

[robjacox]

Austin grabbed a shot of BNSF 2096 in Centralia, WA, yesterday:

http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=65300

Thought it was amazing that it still has classification lights, and more so that it still has them after they went through the trouble to lower to the headlight into the nose.

 

[Jon Bentz]

Rob - it sure has been a long time since I've seen those! Nice catch.

 

[The Renton Rocket]

there are quite a few GP 38-2 that have class lights on the Seattle Division

 

[Bluefox]

Classification Lights ?

Rob - it sure has been a long time since I've seen those! Nice catch.

Help me out Jon, what are Classification lights, I checked out the picture of BN2096 and am unsure exactly what they are. Thanks

 

[jeja7676]

Yup, still got the class lights!

 

[Midsouth fan]

A couple of friends of mine and I call them turn signals just for fun. Unfortunately, someone overheard us saying that once...and believed us!

To answer your question Bluefox, class lights were used to identify trains (under the old timetable and train order system of main track authority, also known as the Uniform Code of Operating rules) as either extra trains (white lights) or a section(s) of a regular train (green lights). If a regular train (train authorized by a timetable schedule) has no sections, or if the train is the last section (section: one of two or more trains running on the same schedule) of a regular train, the lights will not be lit.

 

[robjacox]

Help me out Jon, what are Classification lights, I checked out the picture of BN2096 and am unsure exactly what they are. Thanks

Classification lights are the marker lights, on the top corners of the nose. No longer used, most have been removed and plated over.

 

[Kevin M]

I wonder if these were some of the last Canadien qualified locomotives BN had hanging around Everett for the North Branch. They recived a waiver a few years back to allow them to run anything on the point.
KEvin

 

[The Renton Rocket]

Ok here one item i saw on a BNSF 6608 it id it as ES44C4 in stead of a ES44DC and i noticed it is lacking the middle traction motors in the trucks so would that make this unit an A-1-A A-1-A ?

 

[mrmoose]

Ok here one item i saw on a BNSF 6608 it id it as ES44C4 in stead of a ES44DC and i noticed it is lacking the middle traction motors in the trucks so would that make this unit an A-1-A A-1-A ?

Yep!

 

[5thGenRR]

I used to see them all the time. They still trickle in and most of the time they are on DRGW's and Cotton Belts.