I am starting to wire lighting in a yard (i.e. light posts so workers could see at night) for a steam era (1920-transition) layout and am wondering if there is any lighting guidelines with respect where lights were typically found (e.g. at the coaling tower). I would love to hear that it varied and then I’ll put them where I see fit. I have a turntable, coaling tower, water columns, cinder hoist, sanding tower (& house), etc. It's more of a branch yard size due to limited space, but I could stretch the imagination if size is a determinant.
Any help?
Strezzy
I'm not an expert, but I have seen light shades on the coaling tower kits that I have built.
So I would say there was at least one light at or very near to any area where night work went on. The lights would have been mounted to any existing buildings that were already there before putting up special towers. Coaling stations, sand towers, fueling towers, caboose facilities, on the water tanks, above each loco stall door, on the turntable overhead bridge, in service areas, etc. The main yard may have had a couple of special light towers to illuminate the whole yard if it was a large 24 hour operation.
If night operations were not usual, the car-men would all carry lanterns that were lit all the time when in the yard areas. They were used for signaling the locomotive movements as well as for work lighting.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Yard lighting is a matter of choice and necessity ,need and protype. Since you said you were doing a freelance layout, then lighting is up to you, lights on the coaling tower,sanding ,water , inspection pit and the yard office, also on the turntable and engine house. Use 12 volt bulbs at half power and with a yellow tint , as this would look better than bright white lights. You want it to be lighted but not look like daylight.
Just ask two questions: "Where is work going to be performed?" and "Will it be performed at night [often]?" and add lighting accordingly.
The Canadian Pacific yard at Sudbury, ON has 4 massive light towers covering the main switching yard, and originally had smaller light poles illuminating the station platforms.
Smaller locations might only have one or two lights on poles, or on buildings only. Or nothing if it's a remote location with no railway structures.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
It seems lights are often installed on existing structures whenever possible. If a row of power or telegraph poles runs along / thru the yard they often have lights on them...easier than building new light towers, just slap em on the power poles!!
Click on this pic and get out your magnifying glass.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Thanks!!!!
All very helpful. That's a heck of a pic!
BATMAN Click on this pic and get out your magnifying glass.
This makes it easy since there isn't any yard lighting other than the sun.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
dehusman BATMAN: Click on this pic and get out your magnifying glass. This makes it easy since there isn't any yard lighting other than the sun.
BATMAN: Click on this pic and get out your magnifying glass.
In the spirit of profitability. Canadian Pacific simply borrows the Photons that emanate from the surrounding city. That alone should be more than enough light for fit, healthy individuals to accomplish the task at hand.
You will also note there are no fragments of coal strewn across the ground. Office workers who wish to have heat while they work, will during their fifteen minute lunch break be allowed to collect this spillover and return it to the coaling tower. When this task is complete they will be entitled to one, and only one, LUMP of coal to heat their abundant office space. This will insure a healthy dividend on my 8 shares of Canadian Pacific. Thus enabling the purchase of even more model train stuff.
Yours in profitability.
Ebenezer
Remember the key word "cheap" when trying to figure out how the prototype does something- it was true in the 1920's as it's true in 2010. Lights cost money, so they are added only where they are needed for either night work (assuming the railroad even worked at night) or safety reasons- yards are usualy the last place money is spent on anything, so build your layout accordingly. I don't see how there can be a wrong way to do it so far as the number of lights- but I suggest a minimum of lights at the lowest wattage you can get out of them and place them where your "crew" will be likely to work.
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
Here's a vintage 1936 photo that shows how the Reading did lighting in the Reading yards - notice it appears to be an old locomotive headlamp mounted on the pole!
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Fixed lighting would be put where deemed essential. Which could be nowhere... or it could be prolific where senior managers parked their cars - not to prevent theft (as today) but so they could stroll to them in comfort. The people that had to do manual work could carry hand lamps - often oil lamps - or eat plenty of carrots.
The main reason for improving lighting remains to prevent losses through collisions and theft by employees pilfering or theft by intruders. Prevention of accidents such as trips and falls only became a significant issue when Unions had successfully fought to get sick pay and compensation for injuries at work.
Having worked with both two cell flashlights and modern floodlights I can say that the old ways weren't as awful as they might seem "to the youth of today". Humans have "got by" with extremely little lighting for far more centuries than we have had years of modern lighting... and a heck of a lot of people still have to. It is only a couple of centuries since the first big cotton mills were lit by open gas jets with no incandescent mantles.
One aspect of working in the dark is that you make sure that you know where the holes and steps are when walking around in daylight!
Even recently I have been surprised by how easy it is to walk around out of town in what many townspeople would think of as "pitch dark" even when there is almost no moon or a lot of cloud cover. In some respects "good lighting" makes us less able to see for ourselves. People in the past didn't have the luxury of bright lights... now we often don't have the real luxury of seeing the stars.