Nostalgia & History > The Caboose Marker Lamp . . .

While I know most of us older members are quite familiar with these and some even have them in their collection, this post is primarily for the younger guys that were not around them and know how they were used. Complete with it's kerosene burner and fuel tank, convex lenses with magnification layers on the inside of the lens made the signal appear larger at a distance, deminishing to actual size the closer you got to it. The marker lamp also tells a story as well----when a train clears up in a siding for a trailing train to overtake, the prescribed rule called for rotating the red lens next to the main line so that green appears to the rear-side & front (hence 1 red and 3 grn)--the side next to the wheat field remains red to indicate the rear of train. After the overtaking train passes, the lamp is again rotated to show red to the rear on both sides. Thanks for listening and looking.
Brian Stevens

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one more night shot

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Great post, and you are 100% correct.

You do, however, need to replace that cracked lense.


-Larry Doyle.

An older US rule book question. CP's Budd RDC's and the as delivered "bullet" marker lights on the "Park" cars had three color lenses, red, yellow and green. I've seen US kerosine marker lights with yellow lenses as well (with the rotary collar so they are not switch lights). What would yellow to the rear indicate?

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> An older US rule book question. CP's Budd RDC's
> and the as delivered "bullet" marker lights on the
> "Park" cars had three color lenses, red, yellow
> and green. I've seen US kerosine marker lights
> with yellow lenses as well (with the rotary collar
> so they are not switch lights). What would yellow
> to the rear indicate?


This goes WAYYYY back, and I know nothing about CP rules in Canada. But...

In the US, prior to about 1917 generally accepted signal protocols were
- Red: Stop/Stop and proceed
- Green: Caution - Reduce speed, approach, expect next signal to be stop, etc.
- Clear/white: Clear, Proceed

Marker lights also showed red to rear of train on main track; green (caution) or white (clear) on rear of train in siding (depending upon the railroads rules).

About 1917 rules changed to:
- Red: Stop/Stop and proceed
- Yellow: Caution - Reduce speed, approach, expect next signal to be stop, etc.
- Green: Clear,Proceed

At the same time, white was eliminated as a rear of train marking, and some railroads (IIRC PRR, ATSF, and perhaps others) adopted yellow as a rear of train marker when in the clear on a siding.

White remained the appropriate class signal for the front of an extra train and green to indicate a following section, but red and yellow/or green was appropriate for the rear marker, depending upon the railroads rules.

-Larry Doyle



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/10 04:58 by LarryDoyle.

Other than the red and green some railroads use the amber? or yellow? I had heard of this and saw the difference with my own eyes at the museum in Monon, Indiana. They were caboose marker lights from two different railroads and different. It had nothing to do with the time period, just a difference in rules for both railroads.

Edit:

Ok, I see that Larry explained that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/10 20:48 by wabash2800.

For those collecting marker lamps, this one is only missing the clear glass chimney that would fit on top of the burner. The chimney would prevent the flame from being blow out when the door was open and would channel the heat up to the top vent.

Martin

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> I've seen US kerosine marker lights
> with yellow lenses as well (with the rotary collar
> so they are not switch lights). What would yellow
> to the rear indicate?


Some railroads (mainly western - AT&SF & D&RGW, for example) used marker lamps with 1 red and 3 yellow instead of 2 red and 2 green.

There were quite a number of differences between eastern and western roads in the steam era: markers, hand signals, etc.

On June 30, 1961, I was hurriedly "writing the rulebook" to be employed as a brakeman for the SP at Bakersfield. I was one
of 20 guys who were getting hired, but most of them were fresh from high school and they seemed not too interested in finishing the rulebook and getting "marked up" and establishing a seniority date. I wrote frantically and was the only person who
completed the task in one day. I remeber one question on the exam: What is the difference between Santa Fe and SP markers?

In order that there be no confusion, I attached a photo to indicate that markers are always properly displayed aboard my
private railcar, as God intended!

TIOGA PASS

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One thing on your rear markers, at least on the SP, was the marking "Right" and "Left" so when the brakeman hung them up, they would function as the rule book stated. (Red to the rear, or inside, green forward & rear, etc.



Nudge

spnudge Wrote:
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> One thing on your rear markers, at least on the
> SP, was the marking "Right" and "Left" so when the
> brakeman hung them up, they would function as the
> rule book stated. (Red to the rear, or inside,
> green forward & rear, etc.
>
>
>
> Nudge
mine are labeled left and right also
Brian Stevens