Number boards: use and lighting

PRR Man posted:

If a trainman here can tell me what the protocol is for lighting number boards:

Were only the front boards lit during forward movement,

Yes. Plus, in a multiple unit consist, generally all the trailing units had ALL their lights turned off.

or both ends (on a double ended hood unit)?

No. Only the front number boards should be illuminated.

Conversely, would it be the same moving in the opposite direction?

If you mean "backing up", such as in switching or local freight service, then many times BOTH number boards would be illuminated.

thank you.

Does this mean that the front and rear number boards were controlled separately?

Thank you Jack!

ecd15 posted:

Does this mean that the front and rear number boards were controlled separately?

Yes. There were separate switches on the Engine Control Panel for: front & rear class lights, front & rear number boards, plus a rotary switch for setting up the trainlining of the head light, i.e. "single or intermediate unit", "controlled from the front end", "controlled from the rear end", "controlling". Thus, in a consist of say 4 units, the Engineer had control of the "Front Headlight" and the "Rear Headlight", all the way to the "rear" of his/her consist.

By rule, only the leading end of the controlling unit may have it's numberboards lit. However, what is a rule and what happens in practice isn't always in uniformity. Now that DPUs have become a "thing" here, it seems all lighting and numberboard rules have gone out the window. You may have headlights on against cars, numbers lit, or any combination thereof. I'm picky with my engine consists, and make sure only the lead numbers are lit. You'd be surprised how many times I've found engines in mid-consist with ditchlights/headlights/numberboards on.

For over-the-road trains, when we received train orders for flat meets of extra trains, the lead engine number would almost always designate the "name" of the extra.  ex: "extra 2045 meet 537 at Mustang" with 2045 being an ancient ex-CB&Q GP20.  The front number boards for 2045 would be illuminated.  My example assumes there would be more than one locomotive in the consist of extra 2045.  I have seen a few instances where the "order locomotive" would be mid-consist but not often.  In that instance you simply had to watch for that unit number somewhere in the consist while the meet occurred.  I have also seen engines displaying one green class light (section following) instead of both.  I think the rules stated that one green class light was sufficient, but it never seemed like the best practice.  I am 38 years removed from Jeffrey Sessa and his above comment, but what I have added simply backs up what he contributed.  You are liable to see anything out there, then and now.

I love reading these type of posts for info. I have books and watch videos, but you can't get all the info, all the time. Thanks!

A lot of things have been dumbed down on the railroad these days.  In timetable and train order operation, when a train ran extra, the locomotive designated on the train order was run with illuminated number boards, and displaying white flags or class lights.  Sometimes, another locomotive unit would be picked up en route, ahead of the designated locomotive and would become the new controlling unit of the consist.  Then, the first locomotive displayed the white signals, but the locomotive named in the train order displayed the lighted number boards.  When a regular train (i.e., one with a schedule in the employee timetable that gave it authority to run) was named in a train order, the engine identifying number was also used.  An example would be "N0 8, ENGINE 72, WAIT AT GLENDORA UNTIL 1205 TWELVE NAUGHT FIVE A M FOR EXTRA 2651 WEST".  If No.8 had engine trouble and the 339L-A-B was added to the head end to get the train to Barstow, where the ailing locomotive could be traded out, then 339L (the leading unit) would have dark number boards and 72L (now buried in the engine consist) would have lighted ones.

The same method was used when a head-end helper was added.  Say that there was an excursion from Los Angeles to Barstow.  At Los Angeles, Engine 2929 (4-8-4) would receive train orders to run as Extra 2929 East, from Water Street to San Bernardino, and would carry white flags and illuminated number boards.  At San Bernardino, Extraa 2929 East would receive a numbered clearance card addressed to Extra 2929 East, to enter the double track from there to Barstow, but engine 1226 (4-6-2) would be added as a helper.  The train would run to Summit with the 1226 carrying the flags (first engine) and the (second engine) 2929's number boards lighted.  At Summit, the 1226 would cut off and get in the clear while the 2929's Fireman applied white flags.

Compliance with these practices was extremely important, and goofing it up would be a dismissible offense.

When Track Warrants replaced train orders in the 1980's (and did away with the use of flags or class lights), the Warrant was issued to "Engine XXXX" and the number boards on that engine, regardless of its position in the consist, would be lighted.  The identifying number of the engine is important, as Track Warrants can be issued to an opposing train to leave a location "after arrival of Engine XXXX" at that location.  Track workers can receive track and time, to occupy the track "after arrival of Engine XXXX" at their location.  Some roads continue to do this.

So it makes a difference.  Apparently CSX puts the responsibility on the Train Dispatcher to only issue authority using the number of the front locomotive of a consist, but this is not yet universally done by other roads.

Now with most engines with rear numberboards removed, you can’t even have them on the ‘long hood’ end, if I’m going down the road, only the leading end has numberboards illuminated, if i’m switching/doing yard work, both ends are on