.......~/%                                          %/~.......
........~/                                          /~........
.........~                                          ~.........
..........                                          ..........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~/    #%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~     /~........
.......~/%    %#~                           %#~     %/~.......
......~/%#     %~#    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.        %/~.......
......~/%#                                          #%/~......
.....~/%#@                                          @#%/~.....
....~/%#@#                                          #@#%/~....
...~/%#@##                                          ##@#%/~...
..~/%#@###                                          ###@#%/~..