Understanding a wind vane

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

It is my understanding that the N is fixed North and the red travels via the direction the wind is blowing. That is how the vanes I use for work report anyway.

So, basically, in the pictures of the track wind vanes ... the red arrow is worthless? ... the sole point of them is just to show which way is North - or in the cases like Santa Anita, Oaklawn, and Fair Grounds which way is West?

I guess in the AQU one above - it's easy to tell North and South apart - but how do you tell East and West apart?