Tender "Backup" Light???

No idea; whatever feels "right" to me on my little variable speed press....

Why not work from the base upwards?

OMG, never thought of that

I do have a vise with reversible clamping surfaces, cross-hatched on one side and smooth on the other, maybe a couple of layers of tape will help in not marring the casting surface.

I have a medium-large tabletop drill press and can change the belt position to change speed, but it's all a matter of feed and speed (and how sharp the bit is).

Thanks Martin

In the steam engine era the ICC regulations [ ignoring state PUC's, etc, for the moment ] were what "required" stuff.   Para 231(b) from "...Other than steam" -- I imagine this section of the steam regs read the same way -- stated:

  "Each locomotive used in road service, which is regularly required to run backward for any portion of its trip, except to pick up a detached portion of its train, or in making terminal movements, shall have on its rear a headlight which shall meet the foregoing requirements [ for visibility of the front headlight ]."

   Yard locomotives [ (e)] were required to have a headlight on both ends.

 Your models should "be governed accordingly".

SZ

Just about every photo in the books I have were taken at that infamous "3/4 view" from the front of the engine, it's rare to find a photo showing the end of the tender.

Here's 3 photos of a SAL Q3 Mike.  The 1st shot is too washed out to see what's there, the 2nd shot shows something may be there and the 3rd photo (Ron Dettmer's model) definitely shows a small lamp:

I can't imagine these small lamps produced enough light to do much for the crew, especially if they're sitting in the cab.

I'll try to make one for my Q3, probably need a flat LED, without any type of housing around it (maybe paint the LED black except for the very front).

My brass Williams tenders don't have any backup light so I'll need to order some from PSC.

Ron always does great work and meticulous research

Here is a twist on back up lights: on some mikados the B&O placed red lighting auxiliary headlights on the locomotive that were used as marker lights. These locomotives were used as pushers on the "Old Main Line" from Brunswick, MD, east and were backed up after they were cut off from their train.

Since the classification lamps of the locomotives didn't have red lenses the red of the extra headlight served as a marker lamp for the backing up of the locos.

There's a modeling opportunity for the B&O guys.

Thanks Bob(s)!  I have a set of Ron's tender trucks I keep meaning to put on my Mikes Vanderbilt tender, just haven't got around to it yet.  Maybe when I add the backup light...

The PSC catalog shows some backup lights, P/N PSH-4271 along with bracket PSDR-1131 may do the job for my Mike.