All trains in South East (not sure about other parts of the country) use only one headlight all the time!
It is the right hand side one.
Why not use both?
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I pointed this out to a guard once at Stockport station and was told it was only when the train came into the station.
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Perhaps the switch for the LHS is not reachable from the seated position?
;)
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I noticed this is the case even when train is not at station!
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On the desk in the driving cab is a switch day headlight & night light, and another for tail lights.
On days the headlamp is lit and on the other side should be a marker light which also should be lit, now we are converting our trains to LED rather than the old style bulbs.
However if the day light is blown the night one can be used.
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I wonder if they've made the bulbs almost impossible to get to like many modern cars.
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Trains in the UK managed perfectly well with no "headlamps" at all for many years. It was only in the 1980's that they started to appear on passenger sets, although I think some freight locomotives had them for specific tasks.
Since a train driver navigates by signals at night (and of course route knowledge) then theoretically if all road users respect the laws regarding crossings, spotlights on a train shouldn't be necessary. To be honest they're of little help on a fast train, because you sure as hell can't swerve even if there is something on the track!
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Prior to leccie and diesel traction, steam trains had oil lamps, both on the locomotive and the last vehicle.
These wre mostly for the benefit of the signalman, though, and were of no use to the crew,
Oil lamps were set on the front of the engine in cetain layouts to indicate what the train was...Slow goods, Express passenger, etc. The one on the rear vehicle, a red lamp, indicated that the train was intact and had not been divided en route by some incident.
Particularly important on an ' unfitted' freight ' where the loco was the only brake.
It was the Guard's responsibilty to make sure the red light was working....any train passing a signal box and not showing a red light would be stopped at the next signal.
A fitted train was usually vacuum braked, any break in the train would sever the vacuum pipe and apply the brakes to the whole train.
The Southern Railway, Spamcan's area, used white discs on the front, with lamps at night.
Diesels originally had small, indicating lights or folding discs and also a panel which displayed large letters and numbers, telling signalmen where that particular train was routed.
Ted
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Further to Ted's post above, I found this on t'net. Mainly aimed at modellers but gives a clear and concise explanation of both train lamps and railway signalling codes; it's a set of working practices which served well for over a century, and even today is in use on some lines.
tinyurl.com/3akvvn6
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Illustration of the problem - at 125mph if you can see something on the track you ARE going to hit it, you cannot stop in time. Even at 90mph you have not got much chance, and if you are in a large frreight train doing 45mph you will see the driver put the brakes on and jump - after all there is nothing else he can do and why wait in the cab for the collision.
The headlight is to let others know you are coming - and if you look closely at the lamp many bear the description "Hair Raiser"
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As an aside there are only one or two places in the UK where at 125mph the driver can see far enough to stop in the distance he can see at 125mph! One is south of Doncaster on the main line.
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>> Particularly important on an ' unfitted' freight ' where the loco was the only brake.
>> It was the Guard's responsibilty to make sure the red light was working....any train passing
>> a signal box and not showing a red light would be stopped at the next
>> signal.
>>
>> A fitted train was usually vacuum braked, any break in the train would sever the
>> vacuum pipe and apply the brakes to the whole train.
>>
The unfitted trains also had a manned brake van at the back, the guard could apply the hand brake.
Also consider the skill involved in long loose coupled unbraked trains, if you apply the brakes suddenly the front of the train can stop before the back starts slowing down and you end up with a collision and normally a derailment in the middle of the train. Same problem on starting, start too quickly and you move the back of the train from stationary to 10-15mph instantly and snap the couplings.
Rode on one of the last unbraked freight trains during my training - back in 1982.
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>> Also consider the skill involved in long loose coupled unbraked trains,
Including the task of "pinning" the brakes down before descending a bank. My experience is limited to preserved steam, but I've watch some of the old boys demonstrate it (and the use of shunting poles) and it's quite an eye-opener. Elf 'n' safety would never permit it today of course!
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I remember reading some worthy book or other when a kid that said if I saw a train with no lamp to the rear that the nearest railway worker had to be alerted....some 'ope.
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...some 'ope.
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More likely than you might think. Most young boys in those days took an active interest in railways, and would know the possible implications.
The old system relied very much on observation of such trivial details; whilst the manpower was there to do so, it worked very well indeed.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Wed 7 Jul 10 at 17:31
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some 'ope.
At every signal there is a SPT signal post telephone (grey box), you pick up the phone it automatically dials to the signal box you tell them the signal your at ie ABC123 and tell them you have just seen a train with no rear tail lamp which would be flashing if it was there.
Failing that ring the police.
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Train headlamps - rtj70
