> The ditch lights do in the gyralights?

Actually, it was "Federal" one size fits all, marching orders from the all-knowing centralized planners in Washington DC, that did in the gyro-lite; all railroads goose-stepping to the same tune. Even places like BART now have the requisite triangle of light.

It was decidedly not, any superiority of this goofy European scheme. If it had been superior, it would have been adopted all on its own merit and not by force of federal regulation. The railroads had already adopted a more expensive solution because it was more effective; and thus the cheaper ditch lights would not have needed a federal mandate - even if they had been more effective.

The better, more effective, much easier to see and distinguish, rotating gyro-lites, thus were forced aside by inferior ditch lights; only because someone wanted into the railroad supply market and had good enough lobyists to use the power of Gov't to force there way in. Probably enough cash too!

This is not unlike the corrupt REAL reason PTC got put into law requiring specific proprietary technology, rather than as a simple performance mandate, that could have included all vendors and all technologies equally. Thus overly expensive but inferior gadgetry wins again - by force as usual.


In the case of PTC, we could have done much better for much less. But alas - political corruption is at an all time high, and getting worse by the squares - with no end in sight! Too bad, as the old proverb says, "When the wicked rule - the people will mourn"

Have fun!