Yard Lighting

[chutton01]

This is probably not too helpful, but Marx and Lionel offered model 'yard' floodlights; from the 1950s - now, these were not the truncated oil well platform type you find on Google images, but instead were straight (well, a little tapered, like radio anntennae) lattice towers, with a bank of smallish floodlight at the top.

Here's a prototype yard floodlight tower from 1927 - New Zealand, and a blurb about the yard lighting of that time (from The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 8 (December 1, 1927).

The lighting of Middleton Yard has, in view of the large area of the yard and steady volume of work required to be dealt with throughout the night, received special consideration. The latest system of flood lighting has been installed and is quite a special feature of the yard. The lights are grouped on three towers 90 feet in height (one at each end of the yard and one in the middle) and are of 6,000 c.p., 5,000 c.p. and 2,000 c.p. respectively. The highest candle power is directed on that portion of the yard where the heaviest work is done. The flood-light towers impress one when seen and resemble immense “Meccano” structures. They were made by a Canadian Company and are built of mild steel, set in concrete foundations. They have been designed to stand very high wind pressures.
The lamps are from the Pylo National Company and are of the “non glare” type. A most remarkable feature of the lamps is that one can stare into any of them and then, immediately afterwards, read a newspaper. On the opening night the whole illumination resembled that of the daylight hours and was acknowledged by experts to be the finest yet seen. Passengers from passing trains had their faces to the windows wondering what new phenomenon was visible. This lighting system is the same as that now installed at Timaru, Greymouth, Thorndon, Frankton, Otahuhu, Westfield and Auckland.

If they were using these in New Zealand in the 1920s, they were certainly using similar (more advanced) in 1950s North America...

[jbinkley60]

Here's the same light in a night time shot.

 

 

[Grampys Trains]

 Hi John: Here's the double yard lights Brakie referred to in my transition yard. DJ.

 

 

[BRAKIE]

John,Yard lights would depend on the size of the yard however,we  must compress our yards so,I see no reason not to add lighting.

 I would use something like this since it looks like it belongs in a small yard..

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/475-7212801

[Pruitt]

Try this by Tom S:

http://home.earthlink.net/~tgstage/id3.html

I plan to space these around my 1940s-era yard - if I ever get to it.

[Motley]

I was looking for the same thing. I was at Caboose Hobbies the other day, and I saw this yard light by minitronics.

 

[dehusman]

seaside

have a small yard on my HO layout and would like to add some lighting for nighttime operations and to add realism.  My railroad represents southern Massachusetts/Cape Cod 1945-55. 

Probably the most "realistic" thing would be no light towers on a small yard in the 1940's, early 50's.

 

[seaside]

I have a small yard on my HO layout and would like to add some lighting for nighttime operations and to add realism.  My railroad represents southern Massachusetts/Cape Cod 1945-55.  Does anyone have any suggestions for tower lights or flood lights that would be prototypical?  I might be wrong, but to me, the light towers I see on the Walther's site all seem "too modern."

John