Remember railroads were required to have a headlight, and were regulated after a certain date as to when they had to use them. Railroads were not required to use a Mars or other oscillating light. Some railroads, like New York Central, ran passenger diesels with just the one headlight on the engine.
binder001 Each railroad had their own rules and, as mentioned, it could be affected by the terminal rules in effect in that city. The CB&Q ran their oscillating light in regular over-the-road use but UP only used theirs as a protection device when stopping on the mainline.
Each railroad had their own rules and, as mentioned, it could be affected by the terminal rules in effect in that city. The CB&Q ran their oscillating light in regular over-the-road use but UP only used theirs as a protection device when stopping on the mainline.
The 1972 UP rule book requires units equipped with white oscillating lights to have them on at night when passing through towns and cities or when approaching grade crossings. The red oscillating light is to be displayed when the train stops suddenly to warn approaching trains on adjacent tracks that those tracks might be fouled.
I checked a few other rule books and they read about the same. Some require the while oscillating light to be displayed whenever the main headlight is on bright and extinguished when the main light is dimmed or extinguished. Red oscillating lights are to be displayed in emergency situations like the UP rule. Someone following a particular railroad needs to find a rule book for the era they are modelling for that road's requirements. And don't forget local instructions can replace the rule book's general instructions.
I recall reading that some railroads removed the oscillating feature in later years to reduce maintenance expenses.
Jeff
Just for clarity, the scenes I'm referring to are on main lines fairly far outside the city, at locations including Naperville, Lisle, Joliet, Homewood, and Rondout. I don't believe any were within yard limits, or in fact in terminal areas. I agree that rules may have covered the situations, but if anyone can actually quote a timetable special instruction, it would be helpful.
According to Rights of Trains "Headlights are to be dimmed when approaching or operating within yard limits." Since most of Chicagoland was/is within yard limits...
I recall being dazzle-blinded by a Santa Fe train while driving Route 66 in (pre-I-40) Northern Arizona. Definitely a safety problem!
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
There was a regulation put into place in I think the late fifties(?) that required engines to have their headlights on whenever they were in motion, both day and night. Before that, they only had to have their lights on at night. There never was a requirement for Mars or other gyrating lights; some railroads used them, some didn't. Also each railroad that had them had their own rules - some used the gyralights all the time when moving, some used a red light that only lit if the train went into an emergency brake application. As noted earlies, it sounds like some terminals had rules to extinguish Mars / gyralights etc. in certain areas.
It can depend on the terminal area - Thery may have a restriction on the use of signal lamps like the ones you describe. On the CB&Q, trains entering the St Paul Union Depot(SPUD) were instructed to turn off the MARS lights - This was a safety issue as SPUD had switchtenders in the ground, and they might be blinded by the sweeping lights. You will have to check the rule books/special instructions for specific information.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
As I've been converting to DCC, I've carefully been getting decoders and configuring them for the locos I have with oscillating warning (Mars and other types) lights. However, I have a number of DVDs covering railfan films from the Chicago area in the 1960s and 70s. Many railroads going into Chicago at that time had locos equipped with these lights, such as the Burlington, North Western, Milwaukee, and Rock Island, as well as passenger locos on the Santa Fe and Illinois Central. I note, though, that while in the Chicago area, almost universally the lower, regular headlight was lit, but the oscilating warning (upper) headlight was off. There were only a few exceptions, basically just a few Hiawathas on the Milwaukee.
Can anyone explain what rules or policies might have covered this? Under what circumstances did these railroads turn the oscillating warning lights on?