Strange Metro observation

At Gallery Place Chinatown, on the Glenmont bound Red Line platform, the flashing train indicator lights at the edge of the platform have all been replaced by new, bright red lights. What are these? Why did this happen?

quote="Love Train"
At Gallery Place Chinatown, on the Glenmont bound Red Line platform, the flashing train indicator lights at the edge of the platform have all been replaced by new, bright red lights. What are these? Why did this happen?

Hmmm, Sounds like WMATA is replacing the 75 watt incandescent bulbs with LEDs. That fact that they are red would indicate to me that WMATA is taking advantage of the 6 separate circuits that power the flashing edge lights and might be modifying the wiring to possibly use different color LED to indicate what color train is approaching the platform.

Mind you, I could be wrong as hell and WMATA may just be replacing incandescent bulbs with red LEDs to better warn passengers of approaching trains.

My guess on the red is that they're just the cheapest color LEDs. We'll see as more platforms get done.

WMATA is moving to LEDs because they last longer. Replacing the platform edge lights requires a night's worth of work for a whole crew. Not sure why it is such a labor intensive project, but that's just the way it is.

I'm reading that platform edge lights at Rosslyn have already been replaced by LEDs. I don't use this station.. anyone have more insight? Are they red? Blue/Orange?

Rosslyn could be alternating between blue and orange since its a transfer station

"Politburo"
My guess on the red is that they're just the cheapest color LEDs. We'll see as more platforms get done.

WMATA is moving to LEDs because they last longer. Replacing the platform edge lights requires a night's worth of work for a whole crew. Not sure why it is such a labor intensive project, but that's just the way it is.

144 bulbs to change out per platform edge. The sockets are standard household porcelain fixtures attached to a 4X4 work boxs set in the structural concrete platform slab. The hole where fixtures are mounted is very tight space. Changing out the incandescent bulbs is not as easy as changing a light bulb in a table lamp. It is likely that they are removing porcelain fixtures and replacing them with a fixture specifically designed to mount LEDs in.

I'm reading that platform edge lights at Rosslyn have already been replaced by LEDs. I don't use this station.. anyone have more insight? Are they red? Blue/Orange?

Some one in another forum said he saw orange light in the lower level of Gallery Place.

Sand Box John wrote:Some one in another forum said he saw orange light in the lower level of Gallery Place.

The ones on the lower level appear to be the old color, imo. They do look like they were changed recently, but I wouldn't describe them as orange (or, they're not as orange as the red ones are red.. if that makes any sense).

Okay.. WMATA spoke on the new lights. They're testing "red" and "amber" colored lights to see if there is any difference in passenger reaction. No plans to color-code the warning lights at this time.

WMATA Press Release Metro Testing New Platform Edge Lights at Gallery Place-Chinatown

The press release quotes the numbers of lights that are in the system and the number of various lights that WMATA has in rail stations that they are concentrating most of their efforts on, however they did not quote the total number of platform edge light. 80 station x 2 platform + 6 stations x 4 platforms (Metro Center, Gallery Place, L'Enfant Plaza, Fort Totten, National Airport and West Falls Church) x 144 edge light per platform = 26,496 platform edge lights.

Oh wow, next time I go there, I'll have to take a look for those lights.

"Robert Paniagua"
Oh wow, next time I go there, I'll have to take a look for those lights.

I myself have not seen them yet, plan to make a trip to DC on the 28 for a book signing on 12th Street. Here are some pictures taken by others. Both were taken on the Glenmont bound track B1 platform in Gallery Place. Warning, images are roughly 1.71 MB each;

http://monumentalcity.net/phpBB/download.php?id=1395
http://monumentalcity.net/phpBB/download.php?id=1394

WTOP Radio Red Metro Lights Aim to Save Energy, Improve Safety another picture of the Glenmont Platform

Washington Post New Lights Put to Test To Boost Platform Safety

Oh good, that's nice they have stories about the new lighting.

I'll check it out when I'm down there in April. Doesn't it make sense to use red LEDs since red uses less power, right?

Well, they could be bright red in some cases

"Robert Paniagua"
Well, they could be bright red in some cases

I got some picture of the new platform lights. Will post then in a few days.

Oh good, and I will also head downthere in May, so I'll be seeing how effective they are.