Jump to content
 

Loco and Tail Lamps


Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium

My planned layout will be terminus to fiddle yard for the heritage section and fiddle yard to fiddle yard for the National Rail section. Being a volunteer guard I am very aware of needing a tail lamp on the last vehicle of my train. In the past I used to have a tail lamp on all brake vans and did not worry about sometimes having a lamp in the middle of a train but that would worry me a lot now.

 

Does anyone have any clever ideas on how to have them only on the last vehicle? How do you attach and detach them easily? The same question applies to lamps on the front of the train. This mainly going to affect the heritage section as most of the National Rail services will be DMUs which have lights that work automatically although the freight trains will need some looking at.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I should have mentioned that I am not bothered about having the lamps working as unless a line has a tunnel during daylight hours you can run with the tail lamp in position but not lit.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Hello Chris

 

Hope you are well.

 

I use Springside lamps. I drill a small hole in the base (with difficulty, in a vice, but if I can do it so can you:))

 

On the coaches, I drill a small hole in the relevant position. I insert and glue into this a Peco track pin which has already been bent into an L shape. Using a pair of long arm tweezers, it is fairly easy to drop the lamp on 'the bracket'.

 

Not 'prototypical' up close, but fine from 'normal viewing distance'.

 

Brian

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

One suggestion I've seen is to use tiny neodymium magnets - you can get them right down to 1mm cube. Drill a small hole in the back of the lamp and glue in one magnet, then have either a second one or a steel staple on the coach as a lamp bracket.

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Modelu, also do a good selection of loco, side and tail lamps. Side lamps are required on goods brake vans, thus showing 3 reds to the rear, except when stationary or running on multiple tracks. The side lamp adjacent to another running line has the lamp reversed to show a white light, so that a passing or overtaking train realises that it's not about to run into the back of a goods train.

 

Sorry no link to the Modelu site.

 

 

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, Siberian Snooper said:

Modelu, also do a good selection of loco, side and tail lamps. Side lamps are required on goods brake vans, thus showing 3 reds to the rear, except when stationary or running on multiple tracks. The side lamp adjacent to another running line has the lamp reversed to show a white light, so that a passing or overtaking train realises that it's not about to run into the back of a goods train.

 

Sorry no link to the Modelu site.

 

 

Close, Siberian, but no toffee apple.  The side lamps showed white to the front at all times in normal running; I'll return to the situation when they didn't in a minute.  The rear lenses had red shades that slid in from the top which could be removed to show white light to the rear.  This was used when the train was 'put inside' on a refuge siding or passing loop, or standing on a reception or departure road, or running on a slow/local/relief line, where it might be passed in the same direction as another train on a faster line.  The shade was removed from the side lamp nearest to this running line, but the lamp was not reversed.

 

The shades could be removed from both side lamps to indicate a brake van or train being propelled on the right line, and in this case the loco shows a red tail lamp.  The purpose of the white light shown to the front was so that the loco crew could ascertain that the train was complete and all was well with the guard.

 

If, however, something was amiss that the guard was aware of but the loco crew not, he could reverse the side lamps to show red forward, but they still showed the normal lights to the rear.  If the loco crew saw this they would stop and the train would be examined, ditto if a train passing in the opposite direction stopped and reported to the next signalman/telephone, or if a signalman saw it, or in fact if any railwayman saw it.

 

Modelu lamps are excellent, and come with a slot in the bottom to fit on to a bracket (I use no.15 Rexel staples), but are a little delicate for constant handling, so I am, for now, using Springsides with holes drilled in the bottoms, sides for van side lamps.  I prefer the Modelus though, and am going to experiment with ways of toughening them up with varnish; the handles are very fragile.  They will tear through the bottom slot if you force them on to scale Bachmann lamp brackets.  This is not in any way a criticism of a first class product; they are perfect for posing on permanently fixed rakes of locos and trains, but on my BLT they have to be changed to the other end of the loco or set or brake van and even with careful handling don't seem to last more than about 3 months.

 

Lanarkshire are no doubt excellent as well; they look superb in the photos, but they don't do GW/WR.

 

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, russ p said:

 

They look excellent,  are the spring side ones over scale.  They always look big to me

 

I believe they are overscale.

 

However many lamp irons are also overscale. Both RTR and after market parts such as the Mainly Trains etches. I still use them though, especially for the odd shape ones like GWR.

 

https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/shop/locomotive/mt187/

 

 

 

Jason

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
  • RMweb Premium

Firstly I must apologise for asking a question and then not thanking you all for the very helpful replies you gave.

 

SORRY

 

Over the past few months I have been busy building my duel purpose 8 foot by 1 foot layout. In one guise it is the Harbledown Railroad based in Wisconsin USA and in the other guise it is Elmstone Heritage Railway.


The Elmstone Heritage Railway uses J70's, A1x, USA and other small tank engines for freight services with Heritage passenger services due to use some of the Hattons Genesis coaches.

 

The trackwork is Peco Code 83 with the only buildings on the layout being the two styles of platform. Last week I obtained some very nice head and tail lamps which I am going to drill a small hole in the back to take a 1mm by 2mm magnet. Locos and any coach that will be at the back of a train will also be fitted with magnets so moving them from one end of the train to the other will be easy. I expect that only two locos will ever be used at once but have 10 head and 10 tail lamps plus 40 magnets which should deal with current requirements.

 

The Harbledown Railroad runs freight using Milwaukee Road, SOO and Wisconsin Central locomotives plus steam passenger services using old time coaches. At present I am not sure what tail lamps or flags I am going to use but the same system will be employed although all the locos have head lamps which solves one problem!

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...