Lights on a Triang EM2

[ColinB]

I am upgrading my old Triang EM2s. Does anyone know what lights it should have? There are four white dots on the front and back of the loco which I assume were the lights. I have looked at photos on the web, but the preserved locos retain their Dutch lights, which I gather were different. I even checked on my Heljan EM2 but its lights are different.

[Derek 19B]

EM1 & EM2 both had four white lights , not very bright in the sixty's. Red lamp was provided by a oil lamp located left side when face on half way between the light and the window. Day time running sometimes had a white disk with a hole in for the light but this was very hit and miss.

Derek 19b

[ColinB]

Great, thank you.

[LCDR]

Four lights were universally used before 1960 except for the Southern Region, which equated to the four headlamp positions on the front of a steam locomotive. By day it was usual to put white discs on one or more of the lamp brackets, the position of which indicated the class of the train. Some diesel locomotives also had folding white discs, which when opened showed a white circular disc but when folded were painted green on the reverse side and blended in with the green painted bodywork. These had a hole in them which when the disk was opened allowed a light to shine through and when folded obscured the light. The driver could switch the light off from inside the cab as well.

 

The EM1 and EM2 classes had four electric lights but also had special headcode discs painted white which the driver placed  in front of each light to indicate the class of train which was being hauled. The lights had  clips to hold these discs in place. The discs had a large hole in the centre allowing the electric light to shine through from behind.There was also a disc painted red which was used on the rear when the locomotive was running 'light' which had a red glass centre and acted as a tail lamp, although an oil tail lamp was used as well to comply with rules and regulations. The oil lamp was attached to a bracket on the cab end on the left hand side. 

 

Discs were used more or less universally by the Southern Region where there were six positions around the smokebox instead of the four used on other regions. These were only carried on steam trains, the electrics carried alphabetic and later numeric route indicators displayed on an illuminated screen on the front. Of the other regions only the Eastern Region used discs regularly and then only on the Great Eastern Section out of Liverpool Street into East Anglia.  The Manchester, Sheffield and Wath line became the other regular user of disc headcodes after electrification. 

 

The discs on the MSW locos, classes EM1 (76) and EM2 (77),  gradually fell out of use the drivers relying on the lights instead. 

 

The introduction of roller blind four character headcodes in the 1960s gradually became the norm.

[Derek 19B]

Thanks LC&DR

l sort of remember the red disk but could not find a photo to prove it, just photos with oil lamps.  It must be 50 ish years since I was on Victoria.

Derek 19b

[LCDR]

Derek 

 

There are a few black and white pictures on Bing with a tail lamp on the bracket, but also a dark coloured disc on the electric light fitting below it. You need to scroll through a lot of images to find it though.

 

I didn't startr taking pictures of them until the 1980s when they were on the way out, and then all that were left were the EM1s.

 

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Woodburn Junction

 

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Rotherwood

[Derek 19B]

Great photos LC&DR I will check Bing out, my only photos of the EM1's are passing the old Dinting railway centre, expected them to be around for ever.

derek 19b