Steam & Excursion > Question about steam locomotive electrical power. . . .

Just when did steam locomotives start being equipped with electrical generators?

Along with that question -- was this when electrical headlights came into use?

And finally -- when was the use of electrical headlights mandated on all locomotives?

I just read an article in an old "Railroad" magazine talking about going to electric dynamos on steam locomotives and I believe the railroads were starting to get serious about it around 1890 to around 1905.(That's because the gov't started stepping in.) I'll try and find the article and get some better info fo ya!........Pat

The 1906 Locomotive Cyclopedia has 11 illustrations of locomotive headlights. 7 are oil (kerosene), 4 are carbon-arc. None are incandescent.

Charles McShane's 711 page treatise on modern locomotive technology, published in 1909, is quoted below in it's entirity concerning electric headlights:
"While electric headlights are in use upon many roads they have not been universally adopted. They produce a very brilliant and powerful light, yet most roadmen oppose their use, claiming they are very injurious to the eyesight.
"The B.R.&P. engine shown on page 481 is equipped with one of these headlights."

By 1921, incandescent was the standard.

>> And finally -- when was the use of electrical headlights mandated on all locomotives?

Are they? 49 CFR Part 230 re: headlights is quoted below (electricity is not specified):

§ 230.86 Required illumination.
top
(a) General provisions. Each steam locomotive used between sunset and sunrise shall be equipped with an operable headlight that provides illumination sufficient for a steam locomotive engineer in the cab to see, in a clear atmosphere, a dark object as large as a man of average size standing at least 800 feet ahead and in front of such headlight. If a steam locomotive is regularly required to run backward for any portion of its trip other than to pick up a detached portion of its train or to make terminal movements, it shall also be equipped on its rear end with an operable headlight that is capable of providing the illumination described in this paragraph (a).

(b) Dimming device. Such headlights shall be provided with a device whereby the light from same may be diminished in yards and at stations or when meeting trains.

(c) Where multiple locomotives utilized. When two or more locomotives are used in the same train, the leading locomotive only will be required to display a headlight.


-LD



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/12 17:07 by LarryDoyle.

Found it! It's an article in the April, 1947 "Railroad" Magazine called "The light of the lantern", Headlight Generators. It says that in 1897 Pyle mounted a successful turbine generator(dynamo) on a Rock Island locomotive. (Before the dynamo, they tried mounting small,reciprocating steam engines) It goes on to say that it wasn't well recieved by some train crews because it was too bright for oncoming trains and it COULDN'T be dimmed! This problem wasn't solved until 1913! After these "bugs" were illiminated, they became well recieved by the railroads and U.S. Congress stepped in and made it a Federal requirement in 1915 for all railroads to be equiped with electric generators.

patd3985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Found it! It's an article in the April, 1947
> "Railroad" Magazine called "The light of the
> lantern", Headlight Generators. It says that in
> 1897 Pyle mounted a successful turbine
> generator(dynamo) on a Rock Island locomotive.
> (Before the dynamo, they tried mounting
> small,reciprocating steam engines) It goes on to
> say that it wasn't well recieved by some train
> crews because it was too bright for oncoming
> trains and it COULDN'T be dimmed! This problem
> wasn't solved until 1913! After these "bugs" were
> illiminated, they became well recieved by the
> railroads and U.S. Congress stepped in and made it
> a Federal requirement in 1915 for all railroads to
> be equiped with electric generators.

The 1915 rule, which did not become effective until 1920, only required a headlight - it did not specify electric. The wording of today's rule, quoted above, is nearly identical to the 1915 rule, except that the distance for which a person should be visible in the light of the headlight has been reduced to 800 feet, which was originally 1000 feet!

The supposed problem of dimming electric headlights was no different than the problem of dimming kero lights, and was handled in the same way - the fireman placed a sheild which had a small opening in it over the headlight glass when meeting another train. OR, he simply held his shovel in front of it!

-LD

Hmmmmm, I suspect something was left out. How would a fireman (in the cab) place a shovel over the headlight on the front of the engine?

tomstp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hmmmmm, I suspect something was left out. How
> would a fireman (in the cab) place a shovel over
> the headlight on the front of the engine?


In this time period, headlights were not dimmed for meets on double track. Only that, "The headlight must be screened when a train turns out to meet another train, or stops at the end of double track, or at a junction." (ARA wording in 1921. It also adds, "When electric headlights are in use, special rules governing their use will be issued.")

Milwaukee in 1917 specified the headlight "... must be concealed when a train turns out to meet another ...", and a CMO book of the same period says, "... the headlight must be concealed or extinguished when a train turns out to ...".

How does a fireman do this? He simply walks out to the front of the stopped train with his screen, sheild, or shovel.

-LD



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/12 19:41 by LarryDoyle.

SP used pull-down shades attached to the front of the headlights .......just like the ones in homes prior to electric headlight use.

In what year were the RR's required to have a locomotive headlight illuminated, while running in the daylight, as well as for night running?

Bob Callahan
Monticello, IN

I believe daytime headlights were required in the early 1950s. Some roads ran them voluntarily before that. Usually not at all during or before WWII.

Scott Schifer
Torrance, CA
TinyTrains Website

LarryDoyle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> patd3985 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Found it! It's an article in the April, 1947
> > "Railroad" Magazine called "The light of the
> > lantern", Headlight Generators. It says that in
> > 1897 Pyle mounted a successful turbine
> > generator(dynamo) on a Rock Island locomotive.
> > (Before the dynamo, they tried mounting
> > small,reciprocating steam engines) It goes on
> to
> > say that it wasn't well recieved by some train
> > crews because it was too bright for oncoming
> > trains and it COULDN'T be dimmed! This problem
> > wasn't solved until 1913! After these "bugs"
> were
> > illiminated, they became well recieved by the
> > railroads and U.S. Congress stepped in and made
> it
> > a Federal requirement in 1915 for all railroads
> to
> > be equiped with electric generators.
>
> The 1915 rule, which did not become effective
> until 1920, only required a headlight - it did not
> specify electric. The wording of today's rule,
> quoted above, is nearly identical to the 1915
> rule, except that the distance for which a person
> should be visible in the light of the headlight
> has been reduced to 800 feet, which was originally
> 1000 feet!
>
> The supposed problem of dimming electric
> headlights was no different than the problem of
> dimming kero lights, and was handled in the same
> way - the fireman placed a sheild which had a
> small opening in it over the headlight glass when
> meeting another train. OR, he simply held his
> shovel in front of it!
>
> -LD


Larry, I did not go into a lot of depth on the RR mag article, but it seemed to mention something to the effect that there were electric dimmer switches used in 1913! And from what I could gather, they (the gov't) were talking about electric headlights and not kerosene, whale oil, or arc lights? It seems we are all close to the original date, however, which was the question in the first place.

patd3985 Wrote:
> Larry, I did not go into a lot of depth on the RR
> mag article, but it seemed to mention something to
> the effect that there were electric dimmer
> switches used in 1913! And from what I could
> gather, they (the gov't) were talking about
> electric headlights and not kerosene, whale oil,
> or arc lights? It seems we are all close to the
> original date, however, which was the question in
> the first place.

Incandescent lights would have been easily dimmable, when they came along. Carbon arc lights, which is likely what they used initially to achieve adequate brightness, are not dimmable by electric method. Attempting to dim them electrically would simply extinguish the arc. They could be dimmed mechanically with a shutter, but that would be cumbersome.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/12 22:06 by radar.

LarryDoyle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> (b) Dimming device. Such headlights shall be
> provided with a device whereby the light from same
> may be diminished in yards and at stations or when
> meeting trains.

Many headlights that could not be dimmed were fitted with doors that could be swung around from the side of the typically large box housing to cover the front of the headlight. It seems that a common practive was to have the engine number cut into that door, so when closed a lighted engine number would be visible, making positive identification easier during meets.

You guys are incredible. . . .thanks!!

I wonder if there are any operating kerosene headlights still around that can illuminate a man 800 feet down the track?

I actually have experience with carbon-arc lights -- back in the 60's I ran a projector at a drive in theater, which used the carbon rods. There were actually two rods -- one more or less solid carbon, and the other copper coated carbon. They required a lot of current -- and you had to replace the carbon rod after about sixty minutes or so of use. I can imagine incandescent headlights solved a lot of headaches for railroads.

Narniaman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You guys are incredible. . . .thanks!!
>
> I wonder if there are any operating kerosene
> headlights still around that can illuminate a man
> 800 feet down the track?
>
I'm fully expecting that Loggerhogger will jump in with pictures!

-LD

I believe the Granada Theater in Bakersfield, CA still uses carbon arc for projection. They still use a Theatre Pipe Organ. The place is owned and operated by a Jim Spohn.

There are a few carbon arc theatres around but film projection in general is going away so they have not much time left unless they will only play old films. In Chicago, the Gateway Theatre, now part of the Copernicus Center, a Polish cultural group, is still carbon arc but only hosts a handful of film screenings a year. So far as we know, they are the last carbon arc theatre in the area.

Some footage of an arc lamp in operation here at about 3:55
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txaRcg8_iVc