Early American railroad tail lamps.

[Steveford666]

Hi folks, Help required. I am at present looking at how the U.S railroads showed it was the rear end of a train. Tail lamps specifically. I have bought some miniture red LED's and hope to have them working on a caboose and a passenger coach too. (One freight/one passenger train).

Steve

 

[Neil Robinson]

I've picked up the following information from hearsay, it's a simplified generalisation.
The rear coach or caboose would typically have two marker lights, one each side mounted roughly where the vehicle side met the roof. They would be near the rear of the vehicle and each could have up to three different coloured lenses, for example a red to the rear, a yellow to the side and a green facing forward. White aspects were also used, but never as far as I'm aware facing towards the rear of the train when on the last vehicle.
Try googling railroad marker lights.
Here's an old time obs. in a museam showing marker lights, the two visible lenses both seem to be red in this example.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=314337&nseq=0

 

[Steveford666]

Thanks Neil. I got it now. White LED would be best with side lenses. But it looks like they would be too difficult for me to make. Even at G gauge. I notice that the Shay was only single piped and yet the coach was dual piped! Interesting.

 

[Neil Robinson]

But it looks like they would be too difficult for me to make. Even at G gauge.

LGB used to make them. They may be a bit difficult to obtain at the moment.
Personally I think they used their infamous rubber ruler and made them oversized.
I think Ozark do them as castings, but they may also be difficult to obtain and may also prove a challenge to illuminate.
http://www.champex-linden.de/lgb_pr...0467cf6/55a57845da380354c12568ee003776e8.html

 

[minimans]

Here's a couple I finished earlier, You will need a toilet roll and a weetabix box..................Blue peter style.................

No these are original Adlakes Sadly sold now but they did buy me a Kroc!!!

 

[Steveford666]

Those pictrues are great. If I were modelling in the twelve inches to the foot scale, I would buy some. I use the 12 inch to foot scale anyway when I work.

Me at Edinburgh on another trip to London. The year 2000.

 

[stevedenver]

well let me add
really early or primitive US rrs sometimes used white or red flags during the day
as noted typically 1 but more often 2 lamps to the rear mounted high
and.....
sometimes a lamp on the caboose cupola roof as well -some small little boxes about the size of a caboose lantern-others the size of a huge box loco lantern-dont see these roof lanterns much after 1900 if i had to estimate  -these were used not only for the rear but also to signal the engineers as i understand things

the lgb US lanterns, i think, were scaled to accommodate LGB's original brass lamp socket and 24 volt yellow lamps (as were their German lanterns)

as for ozarks -they can be lighted
having used white metal i now opt for brass despite it being more expensive -+initially

but heres my 2 cents 

purchase brass instead-such as trackside details-why?-they are infinitely more robust and can be soldered onto hollow piping etc-they tolerate crashes and handling much better

or, get a prelighted adlake, available in g scale from the US company TOMAR-12v max incan
- works fine on 6-9 volts-beautifully proportioned -some in r-y-y or the most common r-g-g

these TOMARS REQUIRE drilling a hole in the wall of your caboose or passenger car as they have a rounded protrusion on the wall side -they are fairly bright even at half voltage

-nice and small and have great color in the lens-these work particularly well on LGB old style western coaches-better than the LGB lanterns in my experience-(done both-the only advantages to LGB are plastic and thus a bit more forgiving of toppling and landing on the lanterns lens, they can be slid out-for storage or simply not using them,  as well as using straight track voltage and ease of bulb replacement) 

since im rather fond of lights-in my limited research
r-g-g is by far the most common
SR and ATSF used r-y-y (im sure there were others)

and some oddballs including a UP oregon shortline -used my favorite -r-y-g   (UP was r-g-g)

as Neil has noted aspect were used-when on a siding for a passing train oncoming train etc-on lantern might be rotated to change the aspect etc

i have never seen white on any picture of any caboose in the US-doesnt mean it didnt happen-just ive never seen one in looking at pics in 50 years of train worship

blue was most often (only as far as i know) for work crews


LEDS-not the best as they are highly unidirectional-side lighting is often limited-i understand this can be helped by roughing the surface -such as with fine sandpaper- to disperse the glow

LEDS are great on those tail lights used on more modern equipement that did not have side lens-red LEDS shine very poorly through green lens-  

hope this helps

i personally have used all of the above and for least brain damage and handling -i like the LGB US versions if you can find em-to color the side lens-you can use Tamaya clear paint-or my hands down fav-get some bits of stage lighting gel if you can -color is fantastic

 

[Wobbleboxer]

I have an Aristocraft 2-8-0 which has LED lit versions mounted on the front. A quick Google for "Aristo marker lights" suggests they are available as spares.

http://www.mylargescale.com/1stclass/SailorDon/IMG_8513_sm.jpg < Link To Aristo loco marker lights

 

[Steveford666]

Many thanks Colin, http://www.grsuk.com/index.asp?dept/dept.asp?list=ARSP Its everything there. Lights are £6.66 a pair. Steve.

 

[minimans]

Here are the Tomar Adlakes miniture versions of the originals!

And a Loco headlamp from Trackside

 

[minimans]

I forgot I dad Tomar marker lights on the Mallett..............

 

[stevedenver]

paul what a very effective conversion
well done indeed

is that an annie boiler and cab overlaid upon the chassis?
nice air tanks and bell too as well as beartrap

and from what i can tell thats NOT an LGB made plow-doesnt seem to have the outside 'winglets'

 

[minimans]

paul what a very effective conversion
well done indeed

is that an annie boiler and cab overlaid upon the chassis?
nice air tanks and bell too as well as beartrap

and from what i can tell thats NOT an LGB made plow-doesnt seem to have the outside 'winglets'

I was indeed a early Bachman big hauler boiler and cab most everthing else was scratchbuilt or bought in brass. tac asked about this Loco a while ago I will have to do a write up on it someday, alas it is no more as it took a dive off my shelf when I slipped. it is now recycled into Loco's on both sides of the Atlantic!! The Bodywork and tender went to member of the old GSM and the power trucks are under my Double Fairlie.

 

[spike]

Hi folks, Help required. I am at present looking at how the U.S railroads showed it was the rear end of a train. Tail lamps specifically. I have bought some miniture red LED's and hope to have them working on a caboose and a passenger coach too. (One freight/one passenger train).

Steve

Caboose markers:

Red was shown to the rear to mark it as end-of-train to those on the ground or on another train.

To the side, amber was usually shown to mark end-of-train to the side.

To the front, green was shown to signify end-of-train from forward of the caboose, especially when working yards or adjacent tracks. Some railroads used amber or red for this purpose, all to show end-of-train from whatever angle. Some used amber showing forward as it was brighter to see from the head end.

Locomotive classification lights
White - for an extra;
Green - section of train following;
Red - Loco is rear of train and running in reverse.

Blue lights/flags usually mean train not to be moved.

 

[Spule 4]

Thanks Neil. I got it now. White LED would be best with side lenses. But it looks like they would be too difficult for me to make. Even at G gauge. I notice that the Shay was only single piped and yet the coach was dual piped! Interesting.

Air and steam lines (heat) on the obs, air only on the Shay.