Of headlights, interior lights and other bright ideas..

[RhB_HJ]

Hi all,

Not long ago in the "Dear TOC" thread http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=48945 there was a street car with headlight on, interior lights ablaze and the driver busily navigating down the street.

So what was "wrong" with that picture?? (That is, apart from the image no longer being linked)

This is just a question: Aren't all driver compartments on streetcars, railcars, trolley buses etc. etc. shielded from the light in the passenger area so that the driver doesn't get the reflections of light on the glass in front of him?
I remember even the old 4 wheel, single truck streetcars in Zürich had blinds on the windows facing out to the driver platform.

BTW the same goes for the engineer's cab on electric trains - at least in Switzerland - in the good old days the engineer had a small light (similar to what is on a music stand in the orchestra pit) above the employee timetable. Apart from the instrumentation lights that was the only light in the cab for night driving.
It is a bit different today since the employee timetable on several railroads has been replace by a laptop - the blow by blow feature of the line description is still there. At least until the next upgrade when all the info will be fed in real time from the data bus between the rails.

Perhaps a detail for the night operators.[;)][;)]

[Anonymous]

Your absolutely righ HJ.
As you can see from this photo,trams were very wary of lights.



I think that in the photo (link has been removed) that you refer to,the little plastic men were changing seats.
Here's the picture..


And here's the full picture...


I hate to be the one to tell you this but they are just models in my garden.
Scale toys perhaps.But, if you want to have a conversation about trams in Britain,be my guest.It will bore the pants off the Americans and leave you looking very lacking in knowledge.Something that I think you will find hard to swallow.
Grow up (I have!)

[Anonymous]

For those that maybe interested here is a daylight picture of the first picture in my last post.Taken in the 1960's at Blackpool.Every year the Blackpool trams emerge in various guises during the Illuminations.It's a shame that Kimbrit has left us (as he lives there ).
The driver sits in the boiler.

[Anonymous]

This year,after perfecting the fibre optics I will be adding the illuminations to Standard Enclosed No 159.
This car was saved by my father in the 60's.

As you can see at the time the bogies were removed for transport,the lights remained on the tram (and they still drove it at night !! )
This is the scratchbuilt double deck tram modelled in my garden.
It was transported to the East Anglia Transport Museum,( i forgot to mention the coach collection)

where it remains to this day (but without the extra lights.

[tangerine-jack]

QUOTE: Originally posted by troybetts


I hate to be the one to tell you this but they are just models in my garden.
Scale toys perhaps.But, if you want to have a conversation about trams in Britain,be my guest.It will bore the pants off the Americans and leave you looking very lacking in knowledge.Something that I think you will find hard to swallow.
Grow up (I have!)

I'm finding this very facinating, and I'll be the first to admit I don't know much at all about trams in Britain. I assume the "illuminations" are in deference to the Christmans holiday season? We have a similar "parade of lights" here in Virginia Beach on our trolleys. Now if you really want to be bored...................................



[oX)]

[Anonymous]

It's not at Christmas.If anyone is interested I will dig out all my photos with a history.It's very late here and I need to go to sleep
Ha ha..
TJ.I found this for you.
LUCASsssssssssssss


This was taken before there was a major fault on the electrics....................


Yes HJ.A tram.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Beach on our trolleys. Now if you really want to be bored...................................

I'm interested Jack.Go for it !
That's what this forum is about.

[Rastun]

Ok so what time of year is this Illuminations? Also what is the history behind it?

Jack

[Anonymous]

Copied off the web Jack.Easiest example;


2004 Illuminations


Blackpool celebrated 125 years since the UK's first great electric light show dazzled its holidaymakers, last year.


So innovative was the event it even preceded by twelve months Thomas Edison's patent of the humble light electric bulb, which eventually lit the way for the world famous Blackpool Illuminations enjoyed by millions of visitors today.
During 2004, this northern festival of light showcased a stunning celebration of that 125 year journey with special events on and around the anniversary itself.
It was 1879 when a switched on Victorian Mayor came up with a brilliant idea to fill the town. The council of the day spent a staggering £3,500 on the latest in lighting technology. Eight powerful Seimens Arc Lamps were the stars of the show, shining so bright it was hailed as "Artificial Sunshine".
Combined with fireworks and a carnival atmosphere, the dazzling display attracted a whopping 100,000 visitors who filled up every hotel and lodging house for miles.
The rest as they say is history, sparking Blackpool's tradition of light and electricity. Indeed the town became the first in the UK to boast its own electric street lights.
A lightning bolt in the resorts coat of arms marks those pioneering days.
Shining from September 3 to November 7, this year's Blackpool Illuminations will be a six mile electrical extravaganza of tableaux, lasers and a million light bulbs. mAnd just like every other year, everyone's invited.

Nothing to do with the Illuminations, but there's a futuristic look to New South Promenade, where innovative eye-catching curved lamp posts are just part of a £4m package of improvements to the resort's Southern Gateway.

TEN ILLUMINATING FACTS:
• The Illuminations will shine for 66 non-stop nights from the switch on ceremony on September 3 to November 7
• The dazzling display stretches almost six miles from Starr Gate to Bispham.
• They are costing £2.4m to stage
• The equipment itself is worth more than £10m
• The Lights are expected to attract more than 3.5m visitors - in addition to the 7.5 million at other times
• The army of tourists will spend more than £200 million while visiting the resort
• The Rigby Road workshop, resembling something of a Santa's grotto, with its network of rooms, halls and corridors, covers 12,100 metres
• Workmen started erecting the features at Easter.
• There are more than 50,000 different lamps in more than 100 various types and styles
• There are more than 500 scenic designs and features
• Electricity consumed totals 960,000 units

Or here;

http://www.abiyoyo.com/Blackpool/blackpool.htm

Ha .I put in Blackpool Illuminated Trams and it came up with my own website.

http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/gallery43-1.html
http://www.gosomewhere.co.uk/blackpool/history.html

[tangerine-jack]

Nice picture Troy! I just stopped laughing! My Triumph fell victim to "sudden unexpected darkness" on my way home last night (bad stator) so that Lucas shot is most timely! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Here is a link to our light show,
http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?FeatureID=51

I'll take some shots of our ocean-front trolleys over the weekend for you. You may be surprized!

Thanks for the info on the "illumination" I'll be sure to do some further study over the weekend.

[oX)]

[RhB_HJ]

QUOTE: Originally posted by troybetts

...........................I hate to be the one to tell you this but they are just models in my garden.
Scale toys perhaps.But, if you want to have a conversation about trams in Britain,be my guest.It will bore the pants off the Americans and leave you looking very lacking in knowledge.Something that I think you will find hard to swallow.
Grow up (I have!)

Well, well, well.

Considering this ........

QUOTE: This is just a question: Aren't all driver compartments on streetcars, railcars, trolley buses etc. etc. shielded from the light in the passenger area so that the driver doesn't get the reflections of light on the glass in front of him?
I remember even the old 4 wheel, single truck streetcars in Zürich had blinds on the windows facing out to the driver platform.

you did swing very widely and still missed the target.

As some modelers define it : "Essential detail is what separates the toy from the model".
In the case of a lit streetcar, engine or trolley running at night, in my opinion that would be the darkened driver cab.

BTW otherwise nice pictures. [:)][:)][;)]
Mind you the track looks somewhat interurban, perhaps part of a street railway with very heavy duty industrial service to a casting plant, smelter or steel works. No, I'm not really interested in British streetcars. My original question was along the line: "Do they have different basic light properties in other parts of the world?"[:p][}:)][:p]

[Anonymous]

Yes.The origional question.
To be honest,I don't know.I have sent e-mails to a couple of tram drivers to find out.