Tunnel lights

Rode Trenitalia quite a bit a few years ago
And also watch RFW videos from Italy
Why does it seem that (compared to at least the NY metro area) all the tunnels are incredibly dark and the trains seem to not use headlights?

flexliner wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:47 am Rode Trenitalia quite a bit a few years ago
And also watch RFW videos from Italy
Why does it seem that (compared to at least the NY metro area) all the tunnels are incredibly dark and the trains seem to not use headlights?

Because most tunnels are not lighted, and videographers don't change the camera's aperture settings to avoid the "Burn Out" upon leaving the tunnel.

If you are interested in Italian Cab Ride videos may I suggest tgtrains1 channel on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@tgtrains1/videos

That’s what I was wondering
Why are most tunnels not lit
And why don’t engineers use headlights?

Tunnel lighting that is continuous over a long distance can be hypnotic and is therefor considered a safety hazard, so in long tunnels, you *don't want* tunnels to be lit. This is also why high speed trains have such small windows compared to slower trains--the smaller windows prevent the driver's view outside the train from extending to the periphery of their vision, reducing the risk from lights in tunnels. In videos I've watched (mostly on Lorirocks777's Youtube channel), it's clear that at least French and Swiss train drivers will brighten or dim headlights as needed to avoid blinding drivers of oncoming trains, and I don't recall any trains without headlights, but it also seems that some cameras just struggle outside of daylight regardless of lighting in the tunnels.

RandallW thanks for the explanation
Interesting that in the US some newer tunnels are lit almost as brightly as stations
Example on some videos of LIRR departing their Grand Central Terminal to queens

RandallW wrote: ↑Mon Dec 04, 2023 6:14 pm but it also seems that some cameras just struggle outside of daylight regardless of lighting in the tunnels.

There's also dynamic range to consider. It wasn't until recent years that high-dynamic-range digital cameras became common, and we're still far away from HDR screens being ubiquitous.

In NRK's released Bergen Line footage, most tunnel footage is pitch black or nearly so - right up to near the very end in Oslo, where the camera is switched to a low-light mode in the tunnel just past the National Theatre station (and the tunnel interior leaps into the clear).

ETA: Some of the Bergen Line tunnels, like Gravhalstunnelen (1908) are unlit, while others, like Lieråsen (1962) have lighting along their entire length.

On thing I noticed while watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbW4-x6vJmk is that the tunnel's material and shape can have a huge difference on perceived brightness of lights in the tunnel -- formed concrete is much brighter than brickwork, which can be brighter than rough rock face.