Know what annoys me? SUPER bright LEDs...

[daniel_leavitt2000]

My vote is a NO on dimming lights. Prototypical headlights are FAR brighter than any model I've seen so far and most models are way too dull as it is.

Russ

When I was young, we lived right next to an overpass over the boston line. At night, you could see the headlights light up the bridge while the train was at least 1/4 mile away. Nothing in N scale even comes close. Thats not the whole story though. Our engines have no reflectors, so the headlights are very diffuse. The models may be brighter than 1/160th of a real headlight overall, but not within the prototype's focal zone. It would be awsome if we could get headlight inserts that were able to focus the light straght ahead like the prototype.

[wm3798]

Obviously the throw of the light is selectively compressed...  Seriously...  the axles we get wrapped around around here... :

[tehachapifan]

When I was young, we lived right next to an overpass over the boston line. At night, you could see the headlights light up the bridge while the train was at least 1/4 mile away. Nothing in N scale even comes close. Thats not the whole story though. Our engines have no reflectors, so the headlights are very diffuse. The models may be brighter than 1/160th of a real headlight overall, but not within the prototype's focal zone. It would be awsome if we could get headlight inserts that were able to focus the light straght ahead like the prototype.

The closest I've seen to what you describe is when Richmond Controls was using focused beam 1.5V microbulbs with their modules (pre-LED). I have an SD60M with such a module. While the focus point of both the bulbs on mine always seemed somewhat off from center, these things got WAY brighter when you got lined up with them just right. We're talking crazy bright too! This is still probably my most prototypical looking engine as far as headlights go. They're real bulbs, so the color is just right too. Still, the trade-off is shorter bulb life as compared to LED's, so LED's are understandably the way to go.

[Chulvis]

I thought you weren't supposed to reuse condoms.

Awesome. 

[Dave V]

If you think that is annoying go over to the TRAINBOARD forum and read the first post on the topic entitled Hiawatha packaging opinion.   Here while Pennsy people are literally begging for a K4 or an M1 and this guy gets a whole freakin passenger train and what does he complain about?    THE BOX!  He complains about the freakin box it came in!!!    Is it April or did my calendar stop?

Here is the URL:

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=130033

Holy crap, that thread hurt to read...

[cv_acr]

            I Hope that everyone remembers that during the transition era trains steam and diesel  ran with their headlights off during the day ,passing trains flashed them at each other and Mars/Gyralights were turned on and used as needed during daylight hours. By the late 60's I believe lights were left on all the time,don't know when ditchlights on Canadian Diesels first came into use ,but I would bet during the headlight off era,some Canadian trains might have run with ditch lights lighted on F Units,but headlight out in day time. Can anyone confirm this. My Canadian train rides were in 1968/69,the all lights on in daytime era.                                Nate Goodman (Nato).

Uniform Code of Operating Rules (UCOR), rev. 1962 (Canadian rulebook in effect until the Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR) replaced it in the early 1990s):

17. The headlight must be displayed to the front of every train by day and by night. It must be extinguished when a train turns out to meet another and has stopped clear of the main track, or is standing to meet trains at the end of two or more tracks, or at junctions with switches properly lined for the approaching train. It should be left extinguished until the rear of the expected train has passed.

Ditch lights aren't covered, since they were slowly introduced by the railways during the 1970s, but ditch lights are turned off whenever the headlight is dimmed, similar to rule about oscillating Mars or Gyra lights:

17D. On engines so equipped, oscillating white headlight must be displayed to the front by day and by night. It must be extinguished when the headlight is dimmed or extinguished.

[cv_acr]

If you think that is annoying go over to the TRAINBOARD forum and read the first post on the topic entitled Hiawatha packaging opinion.   Here while Pennsy people are literally begging for a K4 or an M1 and this guy gets a whole freakin passenger train and what does he complain about?    THE BOX!  He complains about the freakin box it came in!!!    Is it April or did my calendar stop?

Here is the URL:

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=130033

Who the F buys a model train to keep it in a box?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I love the random moderator interjection at the beginning. Isn't that what PMs are for?

Stay classy, TB

[Packer]

Who the F buys a model train to keep it in a box?

Collectors...

Inadvertanly me as well. Only beacuse I'm still in college; and don't have the space for an HO scale layout. (although I do take them out and run them on an oval of EZ track every now and then, when I have the time)

[jmlaboda]

"...similar to rule about oscillating Mars or Gyra lights..."

I remember roughly 25 years ago Southern Pacific units were regularly running through Asheville and Salisbury and had become fairly rutine until one night a freight had a brace of Espee units on it behind a NS engine with the last one having its read light flashing on the end facing the rear.  Will never forget how neat it was to see this, especially since I always was under the impression that it usually wasn't lit except during an emergency application, but there it was, flashing red light on, around and over the adjacent boxcar end... a really bright light on a moonless night!!!

[tehachapifan]

"...similar to rule about oscillating Mars or Gyra lights..."

I remember roughly 25 years ago Southern Pacific units were regularly running through Asheville and Salisbury and had become fairly rutine until one night a freight had a brace of Espee units on it behind a NS engine with the last one having its read light flashing on the end facing the rear.  Will never forget how neat it was to see this, especially since I always was under the impression that it usually wasn't lit except during an emergency application, but there it was, flashing red light on, around and over the adjacent boxcar end... a really bright light on a moonless night!!!

I always thought that should have been the light SP used on the rear of any train with helpers or during a light engine move. Cool to hear it was done in the instance you mentioned, although I didn't know the red gyrallight could be turned on independent of an emergency air dump. Perhaps it was a mulfunction(?).

Russ

[cv_acr]

Inadvertanly me as well. Only beacuse I'm still in college; and don't have the space for an HO scale layout.

Well OK, me too then. But the stuff I've collected is all with the _intention_ of use on a layout someday, not to gawk at how pretty the box is.

[Packer]

But the stuff I've collected is all with the _intention_ of use on a layout someday, not to gawk at how pretty the box is.

Me too, but half my stuff doesn't have boxes (almost all my stuff was bought used)