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UK practice is one high intensity (right at day, left at night) and two low intensity (one on roof, other opposite to high) to give a triangular formation. I believe this is standard across several countries in Europe, and is intended to avoid confusion with road vehicles etc.

Yellow paint is interesting. It can look awful if not integrated into the livery, but having been trackside, on a bright day you do see the yellow before the headlights. Don't forget also that in the UK the yellow was introduced before high intensity lights (in the UK), when diesels were painted nice green to blend into the landscape - and trying to remove a "safety" feature is near impossible in these lawyer induced, backside covering days!

"Where we ought to learn from Britain is in their attitude to train procurement (pro-EU) and in their railfreight policies. "

Eh? Train procurement - the biggest order in years (IEP, or whatever it is now called) has just gone to Japan, as did the HS1 domestic trains (class 395) - EU input will be little more than bolting together and low value items, and subsequent maintenance. Don't believe government spin! Freight policy in the UK also not as pro-rail as may be believed; much of the increase over the last few years have been hauling coal from Scotland to power stations in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, rather than from local pits. If a railway cannot increase tonne/km in that scenario, then there is something wrong! Other traffics are flat, declining, or largely disappeared (eg mail), and the fuel duty escalator for road transport has been scrapped following protests from the road lobby. Not too different from here!

Sean