Do the “under the frame, over the truck(s)” running lights have a specific name? Thanks.
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The people I worked with called it "ground lighting". I always appreciated them since my territory was notorious for rattlesnakes. And, yes...the extraboard kids worked mostly at night. I honestly cannot remember if those old AAR control stands had a switch for them or how they might be labelled. @ Number 90 will know.
The switch on the Engineer's control stand is labeled "Ground & Gauge Lights".
Thank you both. That’s a very cool feature I’d like to see incorporated into new model diesel engines.
What a coincidence. My son sent me this last night. His pic, allowed me to use.
9069 is getting ready to pull their steam engine out of the shop and put a fire in it.
Ron
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@Mark V. Spadaro posted:Thank you both. That’s a very cool feature I’d like to see incorporated into new model diesel engines.
It has been incorporated into many new diesel models. For instance, the Lionel Legacy ES44 diesels have automatic ground lights. There have also been a number of steam models with them, the VL-BB, the Dreyfuss, VL Challenger, etc. I've put them on a number of my upgrades as well, especially the streamlined steam where it seems a natural.
Some additional information concerning "Ground Lights":
1) The original "Ground Light" was started way back in the steam locomotive era when the steam driven turbo generators came into existence, in order to provide 32 Volt DC for cab lights, headlights, gauge lights, and the "Ground Light". The "Ground Light" was always mounted directly under the cab, at the Engineers position, in order to the Engineer to easily see the ground at night, when starting a train.
2) As a result of the steam locomotive practices, diesel electric (as well as electrics) locomotives also came equipped with a "Ground Light" mounted directly under the cab at the Engineer's position.
3) Step-well lights, not to be confused with the "Ground Light", also became popular on some railroads with the advent of the GP and SD models. The step-well lights, as well as walk-way lights, were separately switched with switches mounted on the Engine Control Panel (NOT the Engineer's control stand).
Santa Fe's mechanical instructions for Engineers instructed that the step lights os the front and rear units would be lighted, and the ground lights of only the controlling unit would be lighted. Presumably, this was to enable the Engineer to see any sparks coming from the wheels of trailing units.
However . . . where I worked, there was only one Engineer, a peculiar fellow, who followed that instruction. Whenever he was the inbound Engineer and I was the outbound Engineer, I went through the consist and repositioned the Ground and Gauge Light switches to illuminate all ground lights, for two reasons:
- I wanted to be able to see if all sanders were working at night. On Cajon Pass and other mountain railroads, this was important in the days before limited-slip wheel slip control (which automatically disabled manual multiple-unit sanding at speeds above 5 MPH).
- I wanted to be able to see the gauges when walking through trailing units at night.
Almost every Engineer wanted the ground lights lighted on the whole consist. And, as Robert Leese pointed out, in the Southwest, rattlesnakes like to lie next to nice, warm, rails at night, so any lighting for someone who must step down from the locomotive during darkness is appreciated.
