.......... .....&....
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&...&&&
&&&&&&&&&& .&&..&..&&
&&&&&&&&&& .........&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&..
.&&&&&&&&& @$=@$=@$=@$=@$=@$=@$=@$=@$=@$=@$= &&&&&&&...
..&&&&&&&& $@= $@= &&&&&&..&&
...&&&&&&& $=@ 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. .&..&&..&&
&&&&&..... .........&
&&&&..&&&& .&&&&&&&..
.&&....&&& ..&&&&&...
....&&..&& &..&&&..&&
.&&......& ....&.....