Re: Speculation about headlights

Hi, John -

Headlight location standards varied from railroad to railroad and era to era. For example, most S.P. standard gauge engines in the forties and fifties had their headlights several inches below the center of the smokebox. I'm guessing that prior to electric headlights, the acetylene headlights which preceded them were somewhat larger - and were centered on the smokebox front for aesthetic reasons. When the acetylene lights were replaced with the somewhat smaller electric lights the brackets were not moved, so the lenses of the new lights ended up a little below where the old ones had been.

A headlight on the top of a K-36 smokebox is about as far above the rails as the headlight in the center of a standard gauge 4-8-2's smokebox front - high enough to illuminate the track well ahead of the engine but not so high that some of the light is wasted.

This is just my take on one aspect of the subject; it's meant as food for thought, not the last word.

- Russo Loco



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2008 09:53PM by Russo Loco.