The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-08-03
LOCOMOTIVE ELECTRIC HEADLIGHTS.
They VIII Probably Soon be on All
Passenger Trains
Lights That Reveal Track Obstruc-
lions Some Two Thousand
Feet Away.

What will constitute unique lnnova-
tian as well as q marked improvement III
tho railway service of the coast, says the
Ero,oiaeg. is the determination OF the
Southern Pacific Company to equip all
of its passenger trains with electric head
lights. It will require some time 10
make the change from the old oil lights
but the company and officials THINK the
change will be contaminated IN Ie"
months.
For the past two years the company has
been experimenting with the new ma
chine. and an electrician has been max
ing detailed study of its workings. for
q while two of the overland trains run
ming between the Oakland mole and sac
ramento were equipped with the ma
chine and no doubt many people travel
ing between these two places have seen
the brilliant flood Of light it throws along
the track for q long distance IN front OF
fast moving train. 1t was also trleu Oh
one of the trains running in and out OF
I,os Angeles, and at present one train be-
tween Oakland and Sacramento has the
improved headlight and one running form
Sacramento to Redding on the Mount
Shasta route.
The company has endeaVored TO test 1t
both on straight ana on curved portions
OF the road, and has also Kept record OF
its reliability. At first 1t was doubted
whether it could be depended upon to
burn steadily: and having this IN view
the oil light was always carried on the en-
CINE so as not to leave the engineer with
out q headlight should the electricity fail.
Within two months, however, 1t was
found that it was entirely reliable, and
with few instructions the engineers
learned to handle the machine readily
and in a satisfactory manner
1t is not complex piece OF mechanism,
and but for a small dynamo on the boiler
OF the locomotive there is no apparent
diference-to the eye of the casual OBJ
server-between an engine with the new
and one with the old light. 1t IS 1ncased
In boxing similar to the Old light ana
occupies the same position in front OF the
locomotives smoke stack. A dynamo
on top of the boiler and behind the smoke
stack supplies the electric current. At
1ached to and surrounding the dynamo
are three small cylinders that furnish the
motive power for generating the cleo
tricity.
Theseoylinders are supplied with steam
by means of small, narrow pipes running
from the sides OF the boiler. The head
light box contains parabOllc renectorS,
the same as in the old one, and midway
between them are two carbon points, one
projecting from the bottom and the other
hanging down from the top of the head
light box. wire from each carbon pOln-
runs beneath the boiler jacket, on the
Russian-iron covering of the boiler, back
TO the dynamo The engineer operates
the light from his seat in the locomotive
cab.
The new machine throws a brilliant
ray of light for a distance OF 1000 feet,
making the track for that distance as
plainly discernible 10 the eye of the en-
glneer as during the day time. The oil
light does not enable the engineer 10 see
fsrther than 200 feet in front of him, and
when running rapidly he is never able
in that distance to stop TO avoid an OBJ
struction. To stop a fast train, or one
going thirty or forty miles all hour,
within a space of a Thousand feet Is con-
sidered efficient work by engineers even
with the use of the emergency brakes.
The length of the view given by the new
headlight 10 the man at the throttle will
ALWAYS enable him to avoid distractions.
This latter fact makes the electric ma
chimes very popular with the engineers,
although when they first began to use
them on their engines 1t Is said they were
often perplexed and at times alarmed at
the mental receptions occasioned by the
intensity of the shadows caused by the
electric light. But this annoyance soon
ceased and the men now prefer the new
light TO the old oil lamps.
A large number of Eastern roads have
been experimenting with the machine in
manner similar to that pursued by the
Southern Pacific. but the officials of the
latter company do not think any of them
have generally adopted it as yet. The
Southern Pacific will probably be the
first railroad to put it in use on all of its
passenger trains.
Eventually the locomotives used for
the fl eight-train service will be supplied
with the new electric light, but not for
some time yet