Signal Green

[stuartpalmer]

In the default sigcfg files, signal green lights are defined as pure green - i.e. "colour ( 255 0 255 0 )". (The first figure in this definition is brightness, followed by R, G and B components).

In the UK at least (don't know about the rest of the world) green signals have a very bluish tint, presumably to help with colour discrimination. I've been trying to match this. So far my best shot is "colour ( 255 0 255 200 )", i.e. adding quite a lot of blue.

Have I gone too far? Any other views on a more typical UK signal green?

[laurie_heath]

There is a standard, BSEN1376, which is quoted by signal manufactures for the colour of the lights but I don't know how this would translate into RGB.

Suggestion: Find a photgraph of a coloured light aspect. Load this into a photo processing package. This should have a tool for determing the colour of any point in the picture.

[johny]

For semaphore signals, it is the spectacle glass that gives the bluish tint, the glass was deliberately made blue so that the oil lamp flame would show as green. If you look at the signals, closely, in the BA "Southern Region" add-on you will find that I have used blue for the spectacle glass texture, but have kept the signal data file description at default, to be absolutely correct the lenses should also be transparent.

As for the glass in colour-light signalling, I don't know, generally it is not shown in most of the models currently available for MSTS.

Whether most of us could tell what hints of colour there are in the display when driving a train in MSTS is questionable, still if it is felt that a greater experience might be had, then go for it.

John

[danielw2599]

I thought it was just me that noticed a bluish tint! thought my eyes needed testing glad to see im not the only one !

I think it must depend on the angle of which you look at it, because some times at work i notice it and other times I dont. (Thats on 4 aspect Searchlights by the way)

[djhedge]

Suggestion: Find a photgraph of a coloured light aspect. Load this into a photo processing package. This should have a tool for determing the colour of any point in the picture.

I recommend Adobe Photoshop - it has precisely the tool that you are describing!

[Pompeyfan]

MS paint has a pipet, then you can youse this to check the colour by going to the edit colour menu

[stuartpalmer]

I did manage to find a few photos as some of you suggested and tried the sampling trick. To some extent the results depend on the quality of the original photo of course, but it does look as if my original idea of "colour ( 255 0 255 200 )" is about right. It looks good in practice too, which is probably the acid test. So I'll be working through all my routes making this simple change!

[supergoods]

The reason for the bluish tint in the signal "green" goes back to oil lights which provided a yellowish flame.

Thus the blue tint in the green glass gave a true green aspect.

Ian

[johny]

I did manage to find a few photos as some of you suggested and tried the sampling trick. To some extent the results depend on the quality of the original photo of course, but it does look as if my original idea of "colour ( 255 0 255 200 )" is about right. It looks good in practice too, which is probably the acid test. So I'll be working through all my routes making this simple change!

Stuart,

I agree with you, I have used the same blue setting of 200 and it does look good for both semaphore and colour-light signals.

John

[Tonysmedley]

Off the rails have you noticed that quite a few modern road traffic signal lights are much more blue than the older green ones? This may be due to officiial views that this aids discrimination between safe and dangerous aspects - which would apply to rail.