There is a "gasket" material around / inside the number board doors and lens door. Was this just regular cotton rope put in there? Fiberglass?

On the ones with the side number boards, there are 3 cords / cables. Were there 2 pos and one neg, or one pos. and two neg.

The number boards in mine are two glass plates. I am presuming the front one had the number silhouetted on it then the white background painted on the other and the two were sandwiched together. Is this correct?



bando7604@hotmail.com

When I rebuilt the headlight that we used on the 1522, I used Neoprene tubing for the gasket around the headlight lens and number wings. Seems like I also used that rubber cord that hardware stores sell for putting screen in aluminum frames.
The usual practice used to be 2 pieces of glass and a stencil. The inside piece was what I would call "milk glass" as it was white but not opaque. The stencil with the numbers cut out was sandwiched between the white glass and the clear outer glass.

frisco1522@sbcglobal.net

A Sunbeam headlight I am currently working with has what looks like fiberglass rope for the number board gaskets.

> On the ones with the side number boards,
> there are 3 cords / cables. Were there 2 pos
> and one neg, or one pos. and two neg.

there would be two positives and one negative. One positive would be for the headlight bulb which whould go to the on/off/dim switch in the cab. The other positive would go to the lamp or lamps lighting the numberboards.This would be hard wired with no switch, and in many cases with no fuse so that the number boards were always on when the dynamo was operating, like the class lights which by law had to be unswitched and unfused. Both lamps would share the common ground (negative)

eselinsky@new.rr.com

> There is a "gasket" material
> around / inside the number board doors and
> lens door. Was this just regular cotton rope
> put in there? Fiberglass?

Originally, it might have been felt strips. I have worked with other headlights that used felt strips about 1/2" wide between the glass and doors and/or body.

Brian Norden

> there would be two positives and one
> negative. One positive would be for the
> headlight bulb which whould go to the
> on/off/dim switch in the cab. The other
> positive would go to the lamp or lamps
> lighting the numberboards.This would be hard
> wired with no switch, and in many cases with
> no fuse so that the number boards were
> always on when the dynamo was operating,
> like the class lights which by law had to be
> unswitched and unfused. Both lamps would
> share the common ground (negative)
An addenda to this post: I received an e-mail concerning the remark about the unswitched and unfused class lights. I was basing my information on information in the ICS steam locomotive Home Study Course, reprinted by the Little River Press. On p. 62 and 63 of the Locomotive Headlights volume, paragraph 102 reads: "....the headlight and back-up lamp are on one fuse and the other lamps are on the other fuse, except for the classification lamps, which are not fused. Classification lghts must always show when a train in road service is moving." Paragraph 105 reads: "...The classification lamps, however, are outside the fuses so that in through service the locomotive may never run without them. A short circuit in the wires to these lights may require lying over until it can be found and remedied. "

After looking through a few railfan books it seems that many locomotives carried unlit class lights on regularly schedules runs in the 40's and 50's . I was wondering if anyone could shed further light on this: What were the requirements for class lights on regularly scheduled trains? What aspect did they show or could they be on the locomotive and be unlit? Were these lamps on a switch?
Any information would be appreciated.

Ed


eselinsky@new.rr.com

> An addenda to this post: I received an
> e-mail concerning the remark about the
> unswitched and unfused class lights. I was
> basing my information on information in the
> ICS steam locomotive Home Study Course,
> reprinted by the Little River Press. On p.
> 62 and 63 of the Locomotive Headlights
> volume, paragraph 102 reads: "....the
> headlight and back-up lamp are on one fuse
> and the other lamps are on the other fuse,
> except for the classification lamps, which
> are not fused. Classification lghts must
> always show when a train in road service is
> moving." Paragraph 105 reads:
> "...The classification lamps, however,
> are outside the fuses so that in through
> service the locomotive may never run without
> them. A short circuit in the wires to these
> lights may require lying over until it can
> be found and remedied. "

> After looking through a few railfan books it
> seems that many locomotives carried unlit
> class lights on regularly schedules runs in
> the 40's and 50's . I was wondering if
> anyone could shed further light on this:
> What were the requirements for class lights
> on regularly scheduled trains? What aspect
> did they show or could they be on the
> locomotive and be unlit? Were these lamps on
> a switch?
> Any information would be appreciated.

> Ed

The pair of cast P-N "diving helmets" that I have has a switch built into the base. These lamps were commonly connected to the locomotive's electrical system by plugging into a socket located near the lamp bracket.

As to "lit or not", class lamps would show white, for an extra train, or green for a second section. If the were not lit, that would be a regularly-scheduled train (or the first section of a multi-section schedule). So, actually, there would be three "aspects"-- white, green and "off".


hpincus@mindspring.com

The last PN I rebuilt (5 gallon bucket with wings style) used eighth inch cotton cord set into cast in grooves for gasketing.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> The other
> positive would go to the lamp or lamps
> lighting the numberboards.This would be hard
> wired with no switch, and in many cases with
> no fuse so that the number boards were
> always on when the dynamo was operating,
> like the class lights which by law had to be
> unswitched and unfused.

Can you refer me to this law? Our road, like many larger ones, requires that the class lights be extiguished (turned off) when not needed to display something (for instance, White for Extra train not in the timetable, Green for a following section, and Red if, at that moment, they are on the rear of a train). We allow flags of the proper color to be used in daylight. We don't require number boards to be lit in daylight, either.

TyburnRR@cs.com

> As to "lit or not", class lamps
> would show white, for an extra train, or
> green for a second section. If the were not
> lit, that would be a regularly-scheduled
> train (or the first section of a
> multi-section schedule).

I think you meant that the last section of a multi-section schedule would not display markers.

awalker@tvrail.com

> The other
> positive would go to the lamp or lamps
> lighting the numberboards.This would be hard
> wired with no switch, and in many cases with
> no fuse so that the number boards were
> always on when the dynamo was operating,
> like the class lights which by law had to be
> unswitched and unfused.

OK, if these statements are true,

1) How do you exntiguish the class lights if the locomotive is being used on a regular schedule [i.e. train]? Regular schedules do not display any class lights except for sections following

2) How do you turn off the number lights if the train is double heading and the other locomotive is the one listed in the orders?

> As to "lit or not", class lamps
> would show white, for an extra train, or
> green for a second section. If the were not
> lit, that would be a regularly-scheduled
> train (or the first section of a
> multi-section schedule).

*Last* "section", or the train itself, and not a preceding section being operated on the same schedule.

Not only were the numberboard lights un-switched but all of the gauge and water glass lights are unswitched.

Class lamps should be switched.

Somebody have one of the ICS books?

pfdx@aol.com

...part 232 Classification or marker lights
Eack locomotive shall be equipped with such classification and marker lamps as may be required by the rules of the railroad company operating the locomotive. When such lamps are used they shall be kept clean and the classification lamps shall be electrically lighted.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

> OK, if these statements are true,

> 1) How do you exntiguish the class lights if
> the locomotive is being used on a regular
> schedule [i.e. train]? Regular schedules do
> not display any class lights except for
> sections following

> 2) How do you turn off the number lights if
> the train is double heading and the other
> locomotive is the one listed in the orders?

I believe that there is some confusion here. The classification lights are fused & switched and the number board lights are unswitched & unfused.



emripp@hotmail.com