Railroaders' Nostalgia > Caboose markers?

My friends and I have been discussing this lately.  Did any railroads have flashing red marker lights?  It is my impression that the flashing started with EOTs and FREDs and that caboose markers burned steady.

Rick Bacon
Windsor, CO

Not flashing, but, I have a movie of a southbound Nickle Plate train passing through Findlay, OH, in 1965 with a red gyro light on it's caboose protecting the rear. Looks cool.
JB

I seem to recall PC used markers that were like road construction barrier lights (battery powered) in the early '70's. They flashed.

Pretty sure flashing caboose markers were an Eastern thing for the most part.

Maybe a continuation of Penn Central, Conrail used flashing red marker lights on cabooses.
They also has a few cabooses with just a single large flashing amber light.  Much brighter.

CNW had a flashing red marker light on the end of their waycars.
JC

Posted from Android

EJ&E used flashing marker lights in addition to their red marker on the roof.

The flashing markers were hung on brackets located on the sides of the car by the rear platform. I've seem them flash and also display constant. At least one conductor figured out how to make them flash alternately like a crossing flasher!

A follow-up question here.  Is there any video of a flashing caboose marker.  I am mostly interested in the single permanently mounted type markers vs the hanging lights.   We are interested in the flash pattern and rate and curious if the flash was achieved mechanically or electrically.  As of now, we are assuming the flash is achieved using something like an automotive blinker relay.

Thanks for every bodies comments!

Rick Bacon
Windsor, CO

Amtrak had the flashing marker on work train cabooses operating on the Northeast Corridor.

Posted from Android

rnb3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A follow-up question here.  Is there any video of
> a flashing caboose marker.  I am mostly
> interested in the single permanently mounted type
> markers vs the hanging lights.   We are
> interested in the flash pattern and rate and
> curious if the flash was achieved mechanically or
> electrically.  As of now, we are assuming the
> flash is achieved using something like an
> automotive blinker relay.
>
> Thanks for every bodies comments!


My experiance is only on a CNW waycar but the flasher was operated electricly powerd by an axle driven generator and battery. Speed was a slow blink maybe 2-3 second delay between blinks.
JC

Posted from Android

Northern Pacific had them also. I have a pair in my collection marked for the NP.
Looks like the flasher used on highway construction barricades.with a marker bracket on the side.
Takes 2 six volt batteries.

Steve Panzik
Chiloquin, Or

JasonCNW Wrote:
> My experiance is only on a CNW waycar but the
> flasher was operated electricly powerd by an axle
> driven generator and battery. Speed was a slow
> blink maybe 2-3 second delay between blinks.

...and they had a timer that (when stopped) had a preset timer
that would shut it off.  You then had to manually reset it and keep
doing that until you stated moving.
zr190

Chessie used a flashing red light mounted at the center of the roof overhang

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Missouri Pacific used them on Cabeese. I had a foggy all nighter with a loaded coal train, flagging into the siding at the top end, down the hill into Ark City, looking for a flashing red signal. I found a flashing red MOP caboose instead. All good, got stopped short.

Posted from Android

DT&I (or a successor?) had a red flashing light on the end of their extended vision cabooses.
Picture is from the second to last run of the Michigan Air-Line/Coe Rail in Walled Lake, Mich.

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I know this is a necro-post, but Star lanterns made and makes the specific markers you are looking for. It's model 845-f. I have a couple on my cabooses and am in the process of getting them running again.

Joe

"Necro post." I like that!