[ME 26-06]

Hi,

one of the questions concerning British outline modelling that constantly comes up when I read 00 scale reviews here on the forum (like the Bachmann Ivatt class 2 2-6-0) is that these models have no lighting installed.

My HO models feature some sorts of head- and taillight, depending whether they are Royal Bavarian or modern Swiss outline, the illumination may differ, but my "old steamers" all have working lights. I am yet to see something similar on British outline models, and I just can´t imagine that the real thing had no lamps at all, day and night, as this would seem to violate safety precautions for both the train and those who´d want to see the train coming, like on a street crossing.

Why is it that the 00 UK outline models are "dark" Some modern diesels, like the class 66 or the Hymek seem to have working headlights - so why not the steamers also?

Sorry if this question may be beyond stupid for a UK outline modeller, but I was wondering...

 

[ME 26-06]

What kinds of duties did these lamps and disk display, and how exactly was it done?

All this sounds a bit complicated to me.

 

[ME 26-06]

OK, now I think I get it - unlike most continental trains, the headlights weren´t used to warn others of a train approaching, or to give the engineer at least a little illumination in the dark, but merely provide information to others about what (kind of?) train they were dealing with?

Was there no illumination at all on trains riding at night? Were these engineers literally left in the dark then?

 

[ME 26-06]

QUOTE (alastairq @ 15 Aug 2007, 20:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>...[consider this, a modern euro express travelling at speeds of well over 100mph? The driver would need a considerably more powerful headlight to see far enough ahead to take evasive action should there be a problem, than is currently fitted to Germany's finest automobiles?
considering the vastly different stopping distance between a train, and a car?]

Absolutely, but trains nowadays feature full beam headlights (both freight and passenger), and these are not used to throw the brake on time when something comes up on the track ("evasive action") but to warn any animals or humans on the track by using the horn (or fleeing from the driver´s cabin on time should a collision become inevitable), and to enhance the signals´ visibility by reflecting them.

This is why I wondered how come UK outline models didn´t feature headlights, as problems like animals on the track could also occur in the UK, and giving an engineer a fair chance to see trouble as early as possible does not seem like a bad idea to me. But I guess that if a ROW is isolated behind fences, chances aren´t as high for such a thing to happen than if the ROW is not.

full beam

normal headlight (pictures © www.eriksmail.de)