&&&&.&&&.& .&&.....&&
...&&..&&. &.&....&..
..&.&.&.&. &&&...&&..
.&&&&&&&&& ..&..&.&..
&........& .&&.&&&&..
&.......&& @*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~ &.&&...&.&
&......&.& *@~ *@~ &&.&..&&&.
&.....&&&. *~@ SUCKING TRANSFORMER *~@ .&&&.&..&&
&....&..&. ~*@ ~*@ &..&&&.&..
&...&&.&&. ~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@* &.&..&&&.&
&..&.&&.&. &&&.&..&&.
&.&&&.&&&& A TYPE OF TRANSFORMER (AN ELECTRICAL ..&&&.&.&&
&&..&&.... COMPONENT) FOUND MAINLY ALONG RAILWAY .&..&&&&..
.&.&.&.... LINES. THEY'RE USUALLY MOUNTED HALFWAY &&.&...&.&
&&&&&&.... BETWEEN THE RAILS AND THE OVERHEAD .&&&..&&&&
.....&...& POWERLINES. &..&.&....
....&&..&. &.&&&&....
...&.&.&&& AS FAR AS TRANSFORMERS GO, THESE ARE &&...&....
..&&&&&... ~VERY BIG~. INSTEAD, NOT AS MANY ARE .&..&&....
.&....&..& NEEDED. AMONG ALL RAIL-ADJACENT &&.&.&....
&&...&&.&& ARTIFACTS/SYMBOLS, THEY BELONG TO THE .&&&&&....
.&..&.&&.& RARER KIND. &....&...&
&&.&&&.&&& &...&&..&&
.&&..&&... ~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@* &..&.&.&..
&.&.&.&... &.&&&&&&..
&&&&&&&..& THE RAILPEOPLE ARE IN GENERAL VERY &&.....&.&
......&.&& SECRETIVE ABOUT THEIR SYMBOLS AND .&....&&&.
.....&&&.. MACHINES, SO ALSO WITH THE THIS &&...&..&.
....&..&.& TRANSFORMER. WHAT WE KNOW IS WHAT WE .&..&&.&&.
...&&.&&&& CAN OBSERVE. &&.&.&&.&.
..&.&&.... .&&&&.&&&.
.&&&.&...& A SUCKING TRANSFORMER IS SURROUNDED BY &...&&..&.
&..&&&..&& TWO SIGNS, BOTH AROUND TWENTY FOUR &..&.&.&&.
&.&..&.&.& METERS TO EACH SIDE OF IT. TRANINS DO &.&&&&&.&&
&&&.&&&&&& NOT STOP BETWEEN THESE SIGNS DURING ANY &&....&&..
..&&...... CIRCUMSTANCES - IF THE CHOICE IS .&...&.&.&
.&.&...... BETWEEN HALTING WITHIN, OR RUNNING INTO &&..&&&&&&
&&&&.....& ANOTHER TRAIN JUST OUTSIDE, THEY PREFER .&.&.....&
...&....&& COLLIDING. &&&&....&.
..&&...&.. ...&...&&.
.&.&..&&.. WATER AVOIDS THEM. IN LIGHT RAIN, THE ..&&..&.&.
&&&&.&.&.& GROUND CLOSEST TO A TRANSFORMER STAYS .&.&.&&&&.
...&&&&&&& DRY. A COMMON SIGHT IS A CREEK OR &&&&&...&&
..&....... STREAM MAKING A HALF-CIRCLE DETOUR. ....&..&.&
.&&....... GENERALLY, SUCKING TRANSFORMERS ARE NOT ...&&.&&&&
&.&....... PLACED NEAR TO LARGER BODIES OF WATER. ..&.&&...&
&&&......& .&&&.&..&.
..&.....&& *~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~@ &..&&&.&&&
.&&....&.. &.&..&&..&
&.&...&&.. THEIR FUNCTION FOR THE RAIL ENVIRONMENT &&&.&.&.&&
&&&..&.&.& IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THEY SEEM TO PULL ..&&&&&&..
..&.&&&&&& IN STRAY FIELDS AND ELECTRICITIES. .&.....&.&
.&&&.....& SUPERSTITION EXIST THAT THEY ALSO &&....&&&&
&..&....&& AFFECT SPIRITS, GIJINKAS, AND EVEN THE .&...&...&
&.&&...&.& SOULS OF LIVING CREATURES. &&..&&..&.
&&.&..&&&& .&.&.&.&&&
.&&&.&...& &&&&&&&...
&..&&&..&& ......&...
&.&..&.&.. .....&&..&
&&&.&&&&.& ....&.&.&.