What are the lights on top of the cab for anyway?
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=12621
And later on Guilford:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=19399
I know they’re not class lights, and I know it started with RI … so?
That MEC unit was one of several U25B that went from RI to MEC when RI quit.
Was it an early form of flashing ditch lights?
I vote for early ditch lights, too. Notice how they are angled outwards.
I think they would definetly be for some kind of saftey purpose.
Interesting - it would appear that only a very few U25B locomotives of the class (225-238) had the additions…(226,234 did not) and they were not slug mothers. Off to the backissues of X-2200 S…
Dave E,
You’re correct. The lights on top the cabs were an early for of ditch lights and was an experiment the Rock did for better visability at grade crossings. Besides the U-boats, one of their GP35s had lights mounted on it’s cab also. I forget what the unit number was though.