Lighting

Some time ago, probably in Model RR magazine they talked about "Constant Lighting" for locomotives or even passenger cars. Anyone know how to do it? Is there a kit of some kind or whatever? Even the style were the lights are one even when not moving or parked.

Also I've noticed in my "B" units there are usually portholes. In normal use would there have been any light showing from these "window" portholes?

Reply to
Tim Coyle
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There are a number of answers of varying complexity:

- DCC does the job automatically by applying 15-18 volts AC to the rails full time.

- A diode bridge in the motor circuit will provide 1.5 volts for head and tail lights on DC powered locos.

- three extra diodes will provide directional lighting.

- Coaches and unpowered vehicles can have a reasonably simple capacitor and voltage regulator circuit for (say) 6 volt bulbs. The problem there is that more amperage has to be supplied to provide the wattage at the lower voltage and some track voltage must be lost as heat.

- If your controller uses PWM (12 volts chopped to give the effect of lower voltages) then a diode and capacitor in each vehicle will provide full voltage.

- I use either 12 or 15 volts PWM as above plus a zener and transistor to switch coach lighting on and off. (12 volts off/15 volts on)

- High frequency AC superimposed on DC traction current. DC motors have too much impedence to be affected by high frequency AC but light bulbs don't mind at all. A choke is required to block the AC from the controller and a capacitor in series with a bulb will block DC traction current. Most published circuits are near the top of the audible range, due to the limitations of older transistors, but frequencies up to 30khz are quite practical today. (drive the dog/cockroaches crazy!)

I doubt if A or B units would show light from the portholes normally.

Regards, Greg.P.

Reply to
Greg Procter

Were portholes on first-generation diesels mainly an ornamental feature?

Reply to
Mark Mathu

The light can be on in the cab, but there is a door between there and the machine room/engine room. That room, with the portholes, would have lights with an on/off switch. The driver should have no reason to be in the machine room while in motion unless he is confronted with an inevitable head-on collision.

Regards, Greg.P.

Reply to
Greg Procter

There are a number of *very* good reasons to be in the engine room of an F-unit or other carbody diesels whilst the loco is in motion, none of them connected with an imminent collision.

As one example, FTs had manually-operated radiator shutters in the intake ducts, which could only be operated from inside the engine room. The also had local control panels in the engine rooms, which included alarms for low lubricating oil pressure, hot engine, wheel slip and hot journals. These required periodic inspection by the fireman while running.

AFAIK more modern F-units had automatic radiator shutters, but the local control panels remained much the same. At any rate, it was common practice on US railroads, and elsewhere, for the fireman to go back and check on the condition of the units while running.

Also, any carbody diesel with steam generators for train heating would require the fireman to go into the engine rooms while running to regulate them.

One other reason to go into the engine room while running - on carbody units that's where the toilet was.

Reply to
mark_newton

Given that the fireman would be expected to go back and inspect the machinery while running, I'd say no.

Reply to
mark_newton

But since operation could very likely be during night time - lights would be required anyway. [But I'm just wondering and speculating with my question here.]

Certainly EMD (or others) didn't plan on using the portholes for maintenance lighting?

Reply to
Mark Mathu

Absolutely. I reckon the portholes were provided to make the interior a little less claustrophobic by day or night. Our 44 class Alco cab-units were rather uncomfortable by comparison, having no portholes or any other windows.

I wouldn't think so.

Reply to
mark_newton

Well, yes, they were, but, ornamental or not, if the engine room lights were turned on at night, the light would show. Being unnecessary doesn't make them non-functional as windows. During daylight hours enough light would usually come into the area to remove the need to use the lights. Most of us tried to avoid being in the engine room anyway, unless it was absolutely necessary. Hot, noisy, smelly, nasty.

Froggy,

Reply to
Froggy

No, they allowed light inside the otherwise dark carbody. FT's had four on each side. F2's and phase-1 F3's had three on each side, later models had only two on the "A" units, but still had three on the "B" units.

In many cases the portholes could be opened for added ventilation. On the FT units, some had a seventh porthole (4+5) for the hostler to stick his head out while moving the loco (most FB units had minimal operating controls).

This also addresses one of my pet gripes. Lots of people like the newer "F" unit models because of their 'see through' side screens. While these DO allow one to see the carbody structure and sometimes the radiator sections, one should NOT be able to see clear through the units from side-to-side as most of the models allow. These screened openings all had sheet metal ductwork behind them that normally completely closed them off from the carbody interior. You could NOT usually see through the units, nor see out of them from inside. This left the interior almost totally dark, except for the portholes. I've been in a lot of "F" units and can attest to this. I'm not so familiar with the "E" units (only been in a few, long ago), but as I recall, and I otherwise surmise, they were much the same.

There were electric lights inside the carbody. If these were on at night, you could see light out the portholes. It was NOT a bright light, however, and pretty dim really.

Dan Mitchell ============

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

Sort of true, though routine running maintenance on the mechanism was possible on the "covered wagon" carbodies, and was not uncommon. Also, it was not at all uncommon for crew to pass through the units as needed. On passenger trains the front doors on the "A" units allowed for direct access to the train.

Thus the interior lights (quite dim) might well be on at times while the train was moving .. not to mention just fogetting to turn them off.

Dan Mitchell ============

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

Wow!

That sounds rather "hit and miss"! It's likely to be like the red light on the car dashboard that tells you your engine has just overheated/run out of oil/stopped generating.

Ok, we didn't get Diesels here in NZ until the 1950s, by which time the indicator dials and knobs were all extended to the drivers cab. My mistake!

So did the F units have light switches in the engine room for such occassions, or were they on all the time?

Reply to
Greg Procter

Ok, I've already eaten my slice of humble pie ;-)

Reply to
Greg Procter

I paint the surfaces visible through the portholes on my Fs black. This looks much better than the metallic sheen from the ballast slug.

Reply to
richard schumacher

I'm not sure about locos in the Southern Hemisphere, but I'm pretty sure that the toilet in the F series Diesels was in the nose (not in the engine room).

Peteski

Reply to
Peter W.

It was on the engineer's side in the rear corner of the unit. E units had the "hopper" as it was so euphemistically called crammed in among the train boiler equipment. If you had to "use it" you found another way if you could.

Remember Peteski, the thing was a dry hopper. It was literally nothing but galvanized steel, sheet metal cone, with the big end up, kinda like a funnel. There was something that was reminiscent of a toilet seat on the top of it, and the other end was a hole in the floor; that's right, just a hole in the floor, nothing more than an outhouse on wheels. There was no partition, no door, no curtain.....nuthin'. You just plonked your butt down on the thing and did the necessary right in front of anybody else that might be in there, or come wandering through. Rather primitive, I always thought. Not only that, but you had better remember to bring your own "accessories" or you would find yourself up s * * t creek without a paddle, so to speak. In short, they were miserable and disgusting, and were relegated to use only in the direst of emergencies, which of course only made them even worse.

Road switcher type locomotives had the appliance in the short end, if they had it at all, which some did not.

Froggy,

Reply to
Froggy

That sounds nasty! Actually, when I used to travel on Polish Railways in the 70s, those had a slimilar toilets in the pass. cars. When you "flushed", it opened up and you could see the roadbed moving under you. Of course, there were signs which stated not to use the facilities when stopped at the station...

When I used to walk the tracks, I sometimes came upon "gifts" left by passing trains. Ah, those were the days...

Maybe I was thinking of the more modern diesels (like F40PH).

Peteski

Reply to
Peter W.

It was, which is why we almost never used them. Froggy,

Reply to
Froggy

For DC power, this (whatever it is/was) must have used a battery to power the lights, since you have to cut power to the tracks to stop the train.

Of course, with DCC power, what you describe is SOP.

-- Bill McC.

Reply to
Bill McCutcheon

| > Some time ago, probably in Model RR magazine they talked about "Constant | > Lighting" for locomotives or even passenger cars. | > lights are one even when not moving or parked.

| For DC power, this (whatever it is/was) must have used a battery to power | the lights, since you have to cut power to the tracks to stop the train.

Back in the olden days there were circuits typically called "Hi Fi" lighting. A high frequency AC feed to the rails powered lights. The motors were filtered to not see that AC feed. The Hi Fi was constant so lights were always on.

It would also drive furry animals out of the house if it wasn't tuned correctly.

| Of course, with DCC power, what you describe is SOP.

Much has changed.

CTucker NY

Reply to
Christian

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