Thank you very much to everyone who has helped with tips and ideas for replacing a missing and broken lens reflector in our headlight! After researching this forum and getting some great help both on here and through the Locomotive fraternity, I was able to come up with a solution using a stainless steel bowl that is a perfect fit! Please see attached picture.

Neat idea! Atleast with stainless it won't rust now. Will the light be working with it's static display?


Actually, are there any engines (diesel or steam) out there that are static display only that have the lighting working on them? I think it would make the locomotive seem a little more "alive" even though it isn't functioning/or functional.

I hooked RMNE's display B&M SW1 #1109's electrical system to a 74v charger after checking for shorts so the cab and headlights would light. The stock electrical system wasn't modified, it was attached right to the knife switch. This would come in handy for the holiday trains when it get's dark early this time of year with this engine on display and the cab open to visitors. It was nice to see something "alive" on this engine after 20 years of being inactive.

MEC 557 -

When travelling east one night on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited a couple of years ago, I was surprised, and pleased, to see that the museum in Elkhart, Indiana had the headlight and green markers on Mohawk 3001 lit up as if the engine was waiting for us to finish our station stop and head east so that they could then get their train out on the main line. A real nice touch.

Les

Lights in, or on, a locomotive give a great impression, and I believe, make people respect it all the more. Great idea for 6069.

3 steam locomotives and a trolley at VMT are "illuminated" at night

CNR 6167 used to be lit, but the wiring deteriorated over the years. While 6213 was at the CNE, she was lit up for most of the time she was on display and looked very impressive at night. I think she is hooked up to an electrical supply at the John Street Roundhouse.

I can confirm that 6213's lights are kept on. We had some difficulty last year with frequent headlight burn out which turned out to be due to deteriorated socket contacts. The socket was replaced and all is well again. Occasionally the loco may be dark due to the power going off in wet weather when GFI protection gets a little enthusiastic or if we move the loco and someone forgets to plug it in again.
Cheers,
Michael.
www.trha.ca

We fully intend to get her lights working once more but they are further down the list of things to do..

I know the Museum of the American Railroad in Dallas, TX, has a few locomotives hooked up to some sort of power source to light up headlights and marker lights on a few locomotives.

At the Illinois Railway Museum, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 265 has a lighted headlight (or did when I last saw it there). For a photo, go here: http://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/milw265_irm.htm .

When I visited the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento back around 1990, I'm pretty sure that cab-forward 4294 had lights. Their web site suggests other locomotives there may have lighted headlights.