Saw this photo on Shorpy this morning and noticed the peculiar looking little light under the headlight. Seems odd that it would be a class light under the headlight, especially with the lantern style marker lights present. Any idea what the purpose of this light was?
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It’s a CB&Q 4-6-2. I’m no expert, but I would bet that is a MARS light which was sometimes added to a steam engine below the headlight.
Rich
Judging by clies in the picture (the horse-drawn vehicle on the bridge; the age of the cars, the vent on the headlight casing) this picture considerably antedates the use of Mars lights for this application.
On the other hand, the purpose of the red Mars lights on postwar power, particularly on C&NW, UP, and Milwaukee, was to indicate on the head end that a train had stopped unexpectedly, including for an emergency application. and trains approaching on double track should be prepared for shifted loads or derailed cars. This light might easily be an earlier version (without the fancy mechanical notice-me dance).
Someone with more time than me should blow this high-resolution picture up and see how the lights are powered. If the headlight is electrified, it is a conversion of an oil or acetylene light (that casing was cutting-edge modern looking in the 1890s) – I cetainly see what looks like steam from an active turbogenerator exhaust back toward the cab. And isn’t that an automatic train control box on the right front running board?
That photo was reportedly taken in 1910 at Omaha Nebraska.
Rich
I am using the term “Mars” loosely. You could well be right about the earlier version reference.
Rich
I brought the photo up on the Shorpy website and it appears that it is vented similar to the headlight.
It is definitely not a Class Light. The Class Lights are in place at the horizontal edge of the smokebox. Engine appears to be flying solid color flags, which I would expect to be Green indicating that there is a following section of the schedule number that the train is operating on, in the Timetable & Train Order method of operation.
OR - it could be a Red Light with Red Flags being displayed to denote the Rear End of a train - with the engine operating in reverse, for whatever the reasons.
I’ve read a lot of discussions about ‘auxiliary’ headlights and their use. Quite a few of the PRR locomotives have been equipped with them:
PRR K4 and a GG1 at South Amboy by Charles Warren, on Flickr
Some Pyle twin sealed beam headlights had a third ‘eye’ centered above the two regular lamps which I’ve seen on some New York Central locomotives. Sometimes with that lamp lit and others with it extinguished.
NYC S-1b 6008 WB Oneida NY by Geoffrey Hubbs, on Flickr
I note in the CB&Q pic that there are green flags which would indicate that there is a section following. The classification lights don’t have to be lit until dusk.
Take a look at that air brake hose on the pilot, too. How is a brakeman supposed to stretch that over to the adjoining car?
Lots of things to ponder in these vintage scenes!
Regards, Ed
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Good point on the reverse-running. Most rule books I’ve seen show the red lamps or flags mounted on the pilot flag holders, which sometimes (usually?) also have lamp brackets on them, too.
Cheers, Ed
I found this 1917 photo of a B&O 4-6-2 which looks very similar to the CB&Q locomotive, but there is no small light below the headlight.
I wonder if the smaller light on the CB&Q locomotive was some sort of night light to permit servicing without turning on the much brighter headlight?
Rich
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It was somewhat common to have the brake (and signal) hoses on the opposite side on the front of engines. NYC 6008 and the PRR K4 in the photos posted above have that arrangement. It carried over into the diesel era, especially on yard engines, but I think it became less common as time went on. I always thought it was to keep the brakeman making the coupling on the engineman’s side.
No argument there. MY point was that the air brake line is a good distance from the center-line of the coupler, maybe 30 inches or more. It seems to align with the right gauge line or even more.
Compare it to the 5115. The signal and brake lines are snug against the coupler draft gear.
Regards, Ed
OK. I see what you mean. It might be kind of hard to pull the hose on what you are coupling to around to connect them. I guess you would really be out of luck to couple two engines with that arrangement front to front.
I think it highly unlikely that the railroad and/or builder would install the hose connection incorrectly, even more unlikely that they would then leave it wrong for a decade or more.
A steam engine working as pusher on the rear of the train would normally be pushing facing forward, so the pilot would be coupled to the back of the train, and any markers would be on the tender. I suppose in that situation, it would back down light to where it started once the train was over the grade; a small red light on the front when backing down the hill might make sense.
Can’t think of any situation where a train would be pulled by two steam engines coupled pilot-to-pilot.
The original picture shows a turbo generator just ahead of the cab and a cable coming out of the boiler handrail looping up toward the headlight. Many oil burning lights were converted to electric operation. The small extra light could had been converted and the vent left intact.
Mark Vinski
Yesterday, I just happened to pick up at an antique store, “Steam Locomotives of the Burlington Route.” The locomotive pictured is of a CB&Q S-1 Pacific. There’s a couple of pictures of sister engines dated 1910, and they have that small light under the headlight. There’s no comment about what the light is for. Pictures of this class in later years, no longer have the light. I have a CB&Q rulebook from 1900 and there is no provision for displaying an extra light, beyond the headlight and class lights, in the rules at that time.
Casually looking through the book, i haven’t seen any other engines with the extra light, but most pictures are from later years.
Jeff
I did find a picure of a CB&Q Ten Wheeler, taken at Omaha in 1909, that has the extra light. A couple of pictures from 1910 of engines at other locations on the CB&Q don’t have them.
Could the extra light be something required by local terminal or divsion conditions? The answer to all this might be answered by someone from the CB&Q Historical Society.
Jeff
Thanks for the additional information! I fear you are right though. We likely will need someone from the historical society to answer this. The local regulation thought is a good one!