GM marker lights.

[enniscorthyman]

I dont know if this was discussed before,but I have often

wondered about the marker lights, on the 121,141/181,071

in the original as delivered condition of two marker lights on

the left and just one on the right,which I cant remember was

it red or white.Anyway why just one on the right?.

And while talking about this,why did the Push Pull fitted 121s

such as 128 have a single red block marker fitted much higher

than other 121s.When Mr Murphy looks at the 121s for his

next venture,perhaps these strange marker light positions

will have him cursing.

[Glenderg]

Odd one indeed. Never noticed it until now.

 

[irishthump]

The single light on the right is one of the two white marker lights. The one on the far left is the single red marker/tail light.

I'm guessing that since CIE/IR/IE only adopted the practice of having 2 red tail lights on the back of a train in the late 80's so one red light was enough!

Edited September 29, 2013 by irishthump

[DiveController]

The single light on the right is one of the two white marker lights. The one on the far left is the single red marker/tail light.

I'm guessing that since CIE/IR/IE only adopted the practice of having 2 red tail lights on the back of a train in the late 80's so one red light was enough!

 

Does anyone know when ©I®E changed the original marker lights and installed LED white and double red LEDs on the 071s? Originally these has the same configuration as the baby GMs above

[Riversuir226]

Early 2000's

[UP6936]

While not strictly what you asked, the LED lights came later to NIRs 111s. 112 got them when on loan to IÉ, but 111 only got them last year, and 113 has been in York Road recently having them fitted

[DiveController]

While not strictly what you asked, the LED lights came later to NIRs 111s. 112 got them when on loan to IÉ, but 111 only got them last year, and 113 has been in York Road recently having them fitted

Yes, very interesting, which explains why only 112 of the three MM NIR 111 class models has the newer LED lights

[ttc0169]

Does anyone know when ©I®E changed the original marker lights and installed LED white and double red LEDs on the 071s? Originally these has the same configuration as the baby GMs above

 

During the ILDA dispute of summer 2000-I remember seeing loco 155 in Ballina with the new LED marker lights and shortly afterwards loco 077 arrived on the nightly liner train from Northwall sporting the same lights,

By the end of 2001 most of the fleet had them fitted.

[josefstadt]

Odd one indeed. Never noticed it until now.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9385[/ATTACH]

 

As irishthump says the light on the right-hand side and the inner one of the pair on the left-hand side were white marker lights. At the time the 121/141/181 and 071 classes were delivered the use of integral lights as tail lamps was prohibited and light engines carried an oil tail lamp as can be seen in the picture (just above the left-hand white light). The red marker light was used during shunting movements when a white light and a red light were illuminated at both ends of the loco at the same time. This eliminated the need to continually be switching lights on and off as the loco changed direction. Shunting locos didn't carry tail lamps. As far as I can remember the use of integral lights as tail lamps only started in the 1980s - the DART units when on trial even carried oil tail lamps!

[DiveController]

As irishthump says the light on the right-hand side and the inner one of the pair on the left-hand side were white marker lights. At the time the 121/141/181 and 071 classes were delivered the use of integral lights as tail lamps was prohibited and light engines carried an oil tail lamp as can be seen in the picture (just above the left-hand white light). The red marker light was used during shunting movements when a white light and a red light were illuminated at both ends of the loco at the same time. This eliminated the need to continually be switching lights on and off as the loco changed direction. Shunting locos didn't carry tail lamps. As far as I can remember the use of integral lights as tail lamps only started in the 1980s - the DART units when on trial even carried oil tail lamps!

 

That's very interesting, Josefstadt. I guess I assumed that they had always used the marker light in the rear (and there lies another lighting project for some modelers).

You also answered a question that I had also omitted to ask on here regarding the simultaneous red and white lights. I assumed it meant the loco might head off in either direction so thanks for that clarification!

 

During the ILDA dispute of summer 2000-I remember seeing loco 155 in Ballina with the new LED marker lights and shortly afterwards loco 077 arrived on the nightly liner train from Northwall sporting the same lights,

By the end of 2001 most of the fleet had them fitted.

 

Sounds like a millennium upgrade by IE for the GMs, Noel.

Edited May 27, 2015 by DiveController

[Railer]

The 201s also got new LED marker lights around the same time. I think an even newer version of the LEDs have been installed on 8209 since it's overhaul.

[Junctionmad]

are they actually " marker " lights as common understood , or merely a lamp replacement.

[ttc0169]

The 201s also got new LED marker lights around the same time. I think an even newer version of the LEDs have been installed on 8209 since it's overhaul.

 

From my records I see that nearly all of the 201s were fitted with the new marker lights during 2001,with the 071s shortly afterwards.

[ttc0169]

are they actually " marker " lights as common understood ' date=' or merely a lamp replacement.[/quote']

 

Referred to as"marker"lights in the various IE loco drivers manuals.

[josefstadt]

are they actually " marker " lights as common understood , or merely a lamp replacement.

 

They would not be classification lights as used by American railroads. Nor would they have been used to indicate the type of train (with the exception of shunting movements) as lamps were used in Britain. I suppose that they could have been considered as electric versions of the traditional oil lamps, though they were not used as such initially.

[DiveController]

The single light on the right is one of the two white marker lights. The one on the far left is the single red marker/tail light.

I'm guessing that since CIE/IR/IE only adopted the practice of having 2 red tail lights on the back of a train in the late 80's so one red light was enough!

The 141/181/071 classes all had lights as describe but the earlier 121s are something of an enigma to me in this regard. There are photos of 121s in CIE grey & yellow as originally delivered with FOUR marker lights in traffic and even as they were unloaded non North wall. This is also seen on some 121 in B'n'T and Supertrain liveries while there are others that clearly have only three lights as the other GM classes do. Others 121s display the usual 2+1 arrangement during the Supertrain and certainly the IR era with IR line drawings showing only three markers like the other GM classes. LEDS cam later as discussed above. As Eamonn points out in his first post the addition of other non-standard larger square (usually red) lights higher on the cabs of 121 engines seemed haphazard and I'm guessing was applied during the 121 PP era probably (in lieu of oil lamps)

[irishthump]

Whoa! And the Lazarus award for thread necromancy goes to.....