Edited 10 May 2017 00:20, 4 years ago, edited by MILW

Drivers are always turning off the red lights at terminals and switching on the white, and v.v. at the other end of the train.

It is conceivable that they may be distracted and fail to complete the action of turning on the white lights, say:

* Have encountered at least once in a lifetime, seeing RED lights on the front of a train.

Both these examples are very rare, and should they happen, so be it.

The overall conclusion is that the white lights were almost 99.99% on.

Are there any circumstances by which both red and white lights at the ends of a train are switched OFF?

Hadlamps illuminated on rear of train is not rare, either. Both of these irregularities typically arise when drivers change ends and forget to check their marker and headlamps.

Occasionally, both red tail lamps on a MU train might fail in service, but missing marker lights are not a real problem in the age of continuous track circuits and continuous brakes.

There are no normal circumstances in which a multiple unit train on a running line would have all marker lights extinguished.
It can be seen in case of:
- failure of all maker light globes (rare)
- failure either of train or electrification
- stabling on running lines with pantographs lowered etc. (not a normal situation)
- loco-hauling of dead MU train (WB tail lamp attached to rear of train)