N&W Class lights

[NW Mailing List]

Mike

If you look down his page to the forth image, you can see the device with two green flat lens inside. Those are controlled by a handle outside the lamp shape, shown in photo three. It simply flips the lens down to show green on both lens, or up to show white on both lens, there is no white and green indication showing, it is white, green or off, those are the only indications. 

The indications are actually somewhat simple, lets do this with using a very busy holiday season with heavy passenger business. 

These indications are either flags during the day, lamps at night or inclement weather, or no flags or lamp indications. I will use lamps as the term, even though these trains might be daylight.

First up is Passenger Train No. 4. 

The first section, will display green lamps or flags, and may be the coaches only, it will be listed as First No. 4
The second section, will display green lamps, and is likely express only, it will be listed as Second No. 4
The third section, will display no lights, and may be more express or mail, it will be listed as Third No. 4

The indication of green lamps means that the operators know that another section is following, usually a certain amount of time behind the schedule of the first train. The operator watching the train, sees the green lamps will note what section is past his tower or station, then when the last section comes by, with no lamps lit, he knows that is all.

The next train might be a coal train, and would indicate white to show it is an extra or unscheduled train. So it is “Extra east 12XX"

The next train might be time freight, No. 84, which is heavy today and being run in two sections, the first indicates green lamps, showing the operators that another section is following

The second No. 84, has no lamps lit, indicating to the operator that this is the last section of this train, so he knows it has all passed.

Then the next two train might be coal trains, again, with white lamps lit on both to indicate an extra train. Extra east 12XX and Extra east 12XX.

Then perhaps it might be another time freight, perhaps No. 78, which is not busy this day and only operating as one section, so no lamps are lit.

So out of the nine trains we saw pass our station, the first two showed green lamps, the third none (three sections No.4), the fourth white (extra coal train), the fifth showed green, the sixth none (two sections of No. 84), the seventh and eighth showed white (extra coal trains) and the ninth showed none (regular scheduled No. 78)

Does that help explain it? This is a future article in the Arrow to explain the indications shown in the rule books.

Best
Ken Miller




> On Sep 24, 2023, at 9:38 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> That prompted me to look a little harder with Google. and Found this site that explains there are some rotating colored lenses inside.
> https://www.jeffpolston.com/classificationlamp.htm
> 
> This helps with another question, which was how should I display colors on a Y class loco, if I want to have lighted class lamps? It seems the answer is to show white to the front for extra,s and green to either side, since two green lenses would be located to either side when white is displayed in front.
> 
> Mike Rector
> 
> 
> On Sun, Sep 24, 2023 at 9:33 PM Mike <mrector333 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I did not realize it was done with a colored filter, I thought the lenses were colored and you rotated the lantern on standard types like this....
> <image.png>
> 
> Mike Rector
> 
> On Sun, Sep 24, 2023 at 9:30 PM NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> Like the normal class lights, there should be a lever that when flipped brings a green lens in front of the bulb.
> 
> Jimmy Lisle
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
> 
> 
> -------- Original message --------
> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> Date: 9/24/23 8:34 PM (GMT-05:00)
> To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> Subject: N&W Class lights
> 
> How do the class J (and K2/a?) classification light lenses work?  Are there color filters inside? Did they have/need green lights?
> It looks like maybe the lamp could swing forward 90 degrees to show green, if that vertical chrome piece I see between the mount and the lamp face is a hinge?
> 
> 
> Mike Rector
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