[HM181]

Originally Posted by jim d

very interesting thread regarding tail lights/bufferstop lamps.I personally cant remember seeing white lights on blocks but maybe I cant remember such,some blocks had a particular type of lamp red painted bit like a tail light to look at but different. Just for the benefit of members who have never worked or even seen oil tail l regardingamps could I just say what a very reliable tool they were when you think of the traffic in their hay day,all complete with tail lamp.Providing the reservoir was full of oil the wick was trimmed ie not carboned up and burnt, long enough that is was in the oil,there was no damage to the lamp its self, door closed and fastened properly no gaps, that lamp would stay lit in any weather for a couple of days.the same could be said for the thousands of signal lamps which were looked after by "the lamp man" usually lamped weekly they used to walk miles to distant signals.I think the replies from the various lads on this subject of electric tail lights coming in is about as close as you will get considering the size of the network.I can remember in the 60/70s there was a programme on BBC tv called Tomorrows World and they were showing an electric flashing tail light that they said would be taken up by British Rail to replace oil tail lamps on trains,I remember saying to my wife no way will the railway have a flashing light on the back of a train,few years later how wrong was I.One comment made was regarding a red light being displayed to an approaching driver, can anybody remember in serious freight brakevan days when the guard in a van with side lights would take the shade out of the lamp next to a running line in the same direction so as the driver would know he was passing the rear of a train moving in the same direction on maybe the slow line or a loop.this of course was when all goods trains had brake vans. Happy days Jim

A good place for removing shades on BV's was from York to Church Fenton on the up and down