Hello,
I just received a package with BLI Kenefick car - beautiful model.
I have a question about using classification lights. I am a modeler from Poland keen on American railway models, so forgive me if this question is simple, but I can’t find this information.
What is the meaning of these lights? When the green ot red one was used? The car has ditch lights. Was this car used in a push-pull system? The car was built in 1950, rebuilt in 1963. I think a push-pull system was introduced in the '70s. Maybe ditch lights were added during the last rebuild in 1988. Was it used in push trains? It is the only reason why the ditch lights were installed.
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When the car was used for track inspection, the ‘ditch lights’ would have been used as the Canadians originally intended, for broader and brighter illumination of the ROW close to the car.
Hello,
Classification lights would only be on the front of locomotives (or cab cars in push-pull service). Even if the Kenefick car was backing up it would not display classification lights. The car was never intended for ‘push-pull’ operation. The correct term for end of train lights would be Marker Lights.
“Some” railroads used to change the orientation of the two marker lights so that if a train was in a siding ‘clear’ of the main line ONE of the marker lights would be changed to yellow or green (the light closest to the main track) but this only occurred under specific rules. see example below:
Canada_marker by Edmund, on Flickr
Track Inspection lights were a common installation on business cars. Often it was the superintendent of the division or another official riding the car and track inspection at night was part of the routine.
Here is a 1965 photo of an Erie-Lackawanna business car with track inspection lights long before any ‘ditch light’ was ever conceived in the U.S.
rn1-375s by George Hamlin, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
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When stopped clear of the main track, both markers would be turned. Turning one side only was when running on multiple main tracks, normally against the current of traffic but dependent on rules in effect. Gradually the rule requiring turning markers changed to only on unsignalled main tracks, to no requirement at all with the demise of the caboose.
On the rear of the car, the red would’ve been displayed when occupying the main track. The green displayed when stopped clear of the main track. On business trains today UP has an EOT on the rear coupler.
Jeff