504 of RWE Power (formerly Rheinbraun) is about to reach the power station of
Neurath (north west of Cologne) with a pushed coal train on 8 July 2007. The
loco has only one cab, at the end that is not adjacent to the train, with
extensions on both side which protrude the loading gauge of the cars. Sitting in
one of the extensions, the driver can look along the train to see the signals.
Special distant signal repeaters (fitted with a white-black-white post plate and
the same identifier as the associated main signal) are placed at the locations
where the loco of a pushed train has to stop in order not to overrun the main
signal with the train. The signal visible from the back at the other track is
such a repeater. It belongs to the left entrance signal (of the dead-end station
where the coal is dumped into the bunker), it's counterpart on the right track
is covered by the train. Note the device attached to the front of the first car
on the right side (in the direction of travel). It contains (from top to bottom)
a white headlight (on), a red backlight (off) and a loudspeaker that emits an
interrupted acoustic signal whenever the train is moving in this direction.
Usual trains have 14 cars carrying a total of 1260 t of coal.
<p>
Digital photo by
<a href="http://www-users.rwth-aachen.de/christoph.schmitz2/index.html">Christoph
Schmitz</a>