What is the differents having it the head lights on the nose versus on top? What is the pro and cons?
Up north where you get snowstorms, the light from a high mounted headlight will reflect more strongly back at the train crew, so the low mount will give better, though not good, visibility ahead. In the same conditions in your car, you can see better with the low beams than the high beams. Probably the same applies in fog for locomotives - it certainly does for cars..
The low mounted headlight is probably more vulnerable to damage if the train hits an object on the track, and since lights get hot, there may be worry that it could burn an incautious employee.
John
cx500 Up north where you get snowstorms, the light from a high mounted headlight will reflect more strongly back at the train crew, so the low mount will give better, though not good, visibility ahead. In the same conditions in your car, you can see better with the low beams than the high beams. Probably the same applies in fog for locomotives - it certainly does for cars.. The low mounted headlight is probably more vulnerable to damage if the train hits an object on the track, and since lights get hot, there may be worry that it could burn an incautious employee. John
LOL
I liked the low mount lights in winter. Nice hand warmers and glove driers.
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
I was told it was for distance view..
cx500 & route rock are both right.And even though I mostly have to put up with the high mount version, it is nice to get a low mounted one just because there is no glare at night off of the top of the short hood. On top of that, it is nice to have a set of ditch lights that aren't coupled to the high beams (read separate switch) because of fog and snow reflecting so much light back into ones eyes.
.
wabash1cx500 Up north where you get snowstorms, the light from a high mounted headlight will reflect more strongly back at the train crew, so the low mount will give better, though not good, visibility ahead. In the same conditions in your car, you can see better with the low beams than the high beams. Probably the same applies in fog for locomotives - it certainly does for cars.. The low mounted headlight is probably more vulnerable to damage if the train hits an object on the track, and since lights get hot, there may be worry that it could burn an incautious employee. John LOL
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
To All,
I removed one particular post from this thread that needed deleting because it got a bit too personal. Unfortunately, it appears that a number of other threads where "daughtered" to that post so that they were inadvertently deleted, as well.
Please keep the discussion going but please refrain from attacks on other's character. Thanks for your understanding in the matter.
Tom/User moderator
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Overall, I like the nose mount lights better. Much less glare reflected back into the cab. Although, I have different feelings when I'm standing in front of one. Talk about sunburn!
Big Jim's right about the separate ditch light setting too. In addition to the glare factor, too much light on the rails can make it very difficult to see the position of the switch points.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Hi Nick. Welcome back. Missed your "good reading" comments.
Mook
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
In addition to the less glare issue, one other reason the headlights are on the nose vs. the top of the cab is the headlights are easier to
change out and present less of a risk of an employee having to get on top to change out a headlight. The railroads are scared to death of an on duty injury.That drives a lot of decisions made by the railroads today.
The reason and history of why the CPR has low mounted headlights, as told to me by my father.
The first diesels the CPR purchased were end cab switchers and "F" units (well 3 "E"s), whereby the engineer sat either well back or above the headlights. The glare problem from falling snow and fog was as reported by John.
Then high short hood Geeps were purchased with the headlights mounted high and the complaints from engine crews began. Next FM/CLC units were purchased configured to run long hood forward with high mounted headlights. There were no longer any complaints, so it was then believed that different makers of diesels were using different brands of headlights. It came to pass that the FM/CLC units were re-configured to run short hood forward and BLAM, the headaches and complaints reoccurred.
The next new units purchased after this reconfiguration were low short hood GP-??'s with low mounted headlights which replicated the experience of running "F" units. Barring some weird exception, it has been ever thus.
AgentKid
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
I think everyone hit a little bit of the nail.....
Since 49CFR regulates the amount of light at a given distance for headlights, the placement high or low is irrelevant. What is relevant is the glare issue, and since many crews using low short hood locomotives with high mounted headlights report glare back into the cab, glare off the top of the short hood and even, in some instances of swirling snow and fog, vertigo and dizziness, some roads properly opted for low mounted headlights to prevent this from occuring. As a side benefit is the safety issue related to changing out the bulbs, but that is offset by the safety issue of extremely hot bulbs right at crewmember's body level where burns can happen. One can argue that it only takes one burn to remember where the headlight is, but one can also argue that one slip or trip will remind you about standing on a short hood to change a bulb.
In my experience, low mounted headlights were definitely preferrable and glare "blow-back" was significantly reduced.
A side benefit to the low mounted headlights is that the "FRA Triangle" or the formation of headlight to ditch lights, which make the mandated triangle, is much tighter, almost forming one huge beam at a distance as opposed to the upper headlight, which doesn't quite have the same attention grabbing effect.
Union Pacific recognized the glare problem early on, by painting to top of short hoods a dull green in an attempt to absorb light and limit reflectivity from high mounted headlights. They also put a grit into the green paint which aided traction for the people assigned to change out bulbs.
Leave it sufficient to say that both are in compliance and it is a matter of corporate preference as to who gets what.
the debate on high or low is personal opinion and myself have always prefered them high as it is no glare to me, i turn the ditch lights out in snow and fog. having the headlights on the nose is more like driving a car, so Now you know how it feels to run a engine at night in the snow or fog. blinded by it all.
Does it matter if the top light on the cab is not vertical?
Another curved ball.. WHat about this one?
Awesome! Another curved ball.. WHat about this one?
No curve...more like a cream puff.
Twin sealed beam headlight on the bottom; oscillating light on top. Tough to use in the fog, especially if the light rotates clockwise as you view its beam from the cab. Causes some hypnosis-like effect among some people. Creates reflective "blow-back" of light into the cab.
Awesome! Does it matter if the top light on the cab is not vertical?
Not to my knowledge, although the beam may stray downward a little less.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.