Headlight - Backup light conventions

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Dave,

There is documentation from our archives to back up what Jim Nichols relates
from observation (also my observation).

There were two rules in the N&W Operating Rule book governing locomotive
headlights.

Through the Operating Rule book effective Nov. 18, 1951, the pertinent part
of Rule 17 read, "The headlight will be displayed to the front of every
train BY NIGHT (emphasis mine).  It must be dimmed.... (it then listed five
or six situations where the headlight should be dimmed).  Rule 584 read in
part, ".. .they must know...that it is EXTINGUISHED (emphasis mine) after
daylight, if not needed on account of weather conditions."  The N&W was
never one to spend pennies needlessly, so why run up the cost of headlight
bulbs by shortening their life from burning them in the daytime?

There was no change of the rule in Employee Timetables through the one
effective Apr. 28, 1957, but there was in the Employee Timetable effective
Jan. 1, 1958, which modified the rules cited in the previous paragraph to
require that "The headlight must be displayed brightly to the front of every
train by day and night except under the following conditions when it must be
dimmed at night...."

So, the change was made sometime between Apr. 28, 1957, and Jan. 1, 1958.
The change could have been handled by an operating bulletin sometime within
that date span, but most likely the change was made Jan. 1, 1958, late in
the steam era.

The requirement for daytime headlights was incorporated into the Operating
Rule book effective Jan. 1, 1967.

Gordon Hamilton



The N&W
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 11:52 PM
Subject: Re: Headlight - Backup light conventions



> For most of the steam era, they ran the headlight and/or backup light

> only when it was dark. And, yes, it was directional. They turned on the

> backup light when backing up. This was generally only when switching in

> the yard, or when coupling up to the train. I suppose there may have

> been some cases when they backed up "on the road" (such as a pusher

> backing down the hill), but this was something I never had opportunity

> to observe. I did see a lot of backing up when the were switching the

> head end at the Bluefield passenger station.   Jim Nichols

>

> nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org wrote:

>

> > Veterans of the late Steam Era:

> >

> > Obviously the headlight was usually on while a steamer was 'on the

road',

> > but what about while in the yard or on line side switching duties?

> > When was

> > the backup (or tender) light used? Only during extended backup

> > movements??

> >

> > Also, when the backup light WAS used, was the headlight turned off, left

> > on, or dimmed?

> >

> >

> > Wish I could have heard, smelled and saw even SOME of the things you

> > experienced.

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Dave Willis (1962 generation)

> > N&W Steam lives on in Indiana.

> >

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>

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