Tender marker lights for HO

[Anonymous]

Anyone know where to buy marker lights for top rear of HO Steam engine coal tenders? Have Broadway LImited Imports and Athearn Genesis steam engines.

[Don Gibson]

I think most roads used backup lights, not markers, for tenders. Different roads had different style lamps at different period's of their existence. Marker lamps would only be hung on tenders when pushing the rear of the train, abiding by the rules..

I'd suggest finding some pictures of tenders belonging the railroad of choice. If it's AT&SF, their 2-10-2's would be where I'd start looking.

[orsonroy]

Roads only used markers on the backs of tenders when the engines were used in backing moves for long distances. Most tenders rarely, if ever, saw marker lights.

Bowser makes several different styles. Check their website for drawings. Otherwise, just add a short piece of tubing to replicate the hanger for the markers, and you'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

There is lots of confusion in the model railroad world about markers. One or more markers are required to indicate the end of a "train", and to distinguish it from some lesser collection of engines and/or cars.

Most railroad rulebooks define a "train" as "an engine, or more than one engine coupled, with or without cars, and displaying a marker or markers." A "train" may be given authority to occupy the main track outside yard limits.

Markers were carried on steam locomotive tenders (often at the corners of the rear deck, sometimes from brackets on the end corners of the tank) on those occasions when the engine was used as the last unit of a "train", i.e, as a "pusher" or as the only unit of a "train", i.e, when running "light" (without cars).

On other occasions, as in the most usual case of the engine pulling a "train", markers should not be displayed on the tender.

If a steam engine was backing at night, and was the last or only unit of a "train", the markers were to be carried on the pilot beam, and not on the tender. The tender should in that case display a white light in the direction of movement, if leading the "train."

Precision Scale makes a marker in HO (their part No 3331) on a stand which would make it appropriate for mounting either on a tender deck or on a pilot beam.