It's time to play "Stump the Professor!" Here's a physics-related question that has me mystified. The page above is from the Westinghouse manual for AMM brakes from 1908. I just don't understand how the point where the compressor circuit is connected, in connection with leaving the lights on during an electrical storm, can provide an "efficient lightning arrester." They also don't make it clear whether they expect you to have the pole up or down during the storm.
So I'm presenting this to the collective wisdom of our readership, which I value highly. Can anyone explain how this is supposed to work?
While we're at it, I might point out that the IRM rule book requires the operator, in case of an electrical storm, to bring the car to a stop in a safe place (i.e., not blocking Olson Road, I guess!) and pull the pole. This is certainly the right thing to do. If lightning were to strike the overhead line anywhere, and a car's pole were up, the pulse would be transmitted into the car with disastrous results. If the pole is down, and you're physically underneath the wire, the probability of a strike hitting the car should be very low.