anybody know what this lamp is?

[BigTbird1974]

http://s1185.photobucket.com/albums/z34 ... RR%20lamp/

Found and snagged from the ground trackside, while taking the signal pics I sent a link to a few days ago. I first thought it was just a discarded single-beam auto headlight (for those of y'all old enough to know what those are...my toy car has 'em) but once I actually kicked at it and picked it up, I knew otherwise immediately. I dropped it in the back of the truck and went on without thinking much further, presuming it was dead already due to where I found it. Looked closer the next day, and discovered THAT wasn't the case, either...?

The thing is, electrically, still functional! Apparently it was tossed because one of its little soldered-on brass screw-terminal thingies came loose and is now gone (??) but the filament part (halogen?) inside is still intact and not 'burned out'!

Upon knowing that, now my question becomes one of two...what is this kind of lamp used for, and what voltage is it intended to operate at? 13.5VDC made it glow yellow-white, so I'm pretty sure I don't wanna try to hit it with 120VAC, like a common traffic signal...? (I confess I'm not yet quite conversant in the typical electrical characteristics of RR signal lights...???!)

Any clues that can be offered will be appreciated -- thanks all!

Cheers --

Tim in Little Rock

[cabman701]

Gonna be hard to determine that it is actually railroad related.

Couldn't tell the size of the lamp from your pictures, but if it is rather large could it possibly be a ditch light from a locomotive that might have fallen off?

[Mafarnz]

There is no difference between a locomotive ditch light or a locomotive headlight, it's all the same bulbs, just the headlight has two right next to each other. Does look to be a loco light. They are 75V DC, about 8 to 10 inches wide if I remember.

[cabman701]

There is no difference between a locomotive ditch light or a locomotive headlight, it's all the same bulbs, just the headlight has two right next to each other. Does look to be a loco light. They are 75V DC, about 8 to 10 inches wide if I remember.

If it was found at a crossing... might be leftovers from a train hitting a car maybe?

[Mafarnz]

Definitely possible, and could explain the damage. It's more likely that a collision would have just shattered the light, but hey, stranger things have happened!

[Nimhster]

Finds like this makes you think how it got there in the first place.

[BigTbird1974]

Thanks, guys, for the good words! So it really *is* a loco light...?! OK, that's QUITE sufficiently -- certainly a worthy addition to the collection on the shelf, no doubt! I'm glad I picked it up!

(it does have a little minor abrasion to the lens surface, which I'd usually call 'road rash', but in this case maybe 'rail rash'...???)

Gotta ask one more NOOB question though -- what's a "ditch light"? (I've still gots SO much new terminology to learn... :groan: )

And 74VDC, huh...? I'm learning even more. I'd never stopped to think about what "standard" locomotive power would be? But come to think of it, I probably don't need to worry about full-powering it in my house anyway...it was plenty bright (and warm!) when I checked it with 13.5 on the workbench...too much more than that and I bet the thing would get *dangerous*, quick...!

To the 'how it got there' thought -- that one might not actually be such a puzzle after all. The area of tracks where I found it is used by a tiny local RR Co, and I often see their locomotive 'parked' nearby, no doubt sometimes for such maintenance tasks as changing light bulbs...?

Would anybody happen to have a pic of whatever 'fixture' or 'housing' holds these lamps, just out of curiosity?

Thanks, all!!

--Tim in Little Rock
http://s1185.photobucket.com/albums/z349/BigTbird1974/

[BigTbird1974]

THANKS SPL, for the further clue -- I would have guessed that's what the ditch lights were, but better to know for sure!

Thanks also for the pic of the fixture. Again, I guess, sorta what I would have expected...like everything else connected to a railroad, lots of heavy steel welded very securely to an even BIGGER and HEAVIER chunk of steel...I guess I won't be finding one of *those* on eBay anytime soon...

--Tim in Little Rock
(who's now gotta go work in the yard in the 95+ temp...what happened to "spring"???)

[TrainmanKight]

THANKS SPL, for the further clue -- I would have guessed that's what the ditch lights were, but better to know for sure!

Thanks also for the pic of the fixture. Again, I guess, sorta what I would have expected...like everything else connected to a railroad, lots of heavy steel welded very securely to an even BIGGER and HEAVIER chunk of steel...I guess I won't be finding one of *those* on eBay anytime soon...

--Tim in Little Rock
(who's now gotta go work in the yard in the 95+ temp...what happened to "spring"???)

It's the first thing that gets damage when they nail someone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtv14ZM8 ... page#t=23s
also you can find anything on ebay, Im sure Amtrak will sell their GE P42s on there when they retire them