Business travel on Interstate 20 has me driving alongside the former Texas & Pacific line from Monahans to Pecos, TX. Uncle Pete upgraded all the signaling (CTC) with "Darth Vader" style signals which are normally dark until approached. Today on my drive the signals were lit; the home and headblock signals of sidings and all the intermediate block signals. A lack of train movements showed ALL RED at the sidings with a progression of YELLOW, FLASHING YELLOW, GREEN in the advance blocks. A route cleared through a station dropped all the advance block signals to GREEN. It was pleasant to see.
Signals are an aspect of railroading that have always held my interest. And even though I understand the benefits of approach lit signals, I still reserve the right to strongly dislike them. Does anyone know of a UP policy change or some such that would explain what I saw today?
The Commanches had only been forced to surrender two years previously, and there was nobody else out there.