§¨§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨    #%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~#%~     ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨    %#~                           %#~     ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨     %~#    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.        ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨