electricity for lamps

[NW Mailing List]

I don’t pretend to know anything  here but a retired  N&W signal man once told me they had some type of sacrificial battery with  copper and zinc anodes that was buried in the ground that worked off of moisture in the ground and would last like a year or so.  I have never seen anything on this thought Abe would  be all over it.  The kerosene lamps here at Kenova lasted well into the 70s . Amazing that we have no lighted switch lamps on the modern railroad today .

 

Larry Evans

 

From: NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2024 10:16 AM
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Cc: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: electricity for lamps

 

All,

 

This picture is rare account it shows the use of a particular type of improved lamp in the late steam era, rather than the usual Armspear example.  They were more of a manifestation after dieselization.

 

Certainly I'm no college-degree carrying engineer, but it was no problem to electrify these lamps from local yard current. Out along the main lines and in remote areas, I think a low voltage electricity was drawn off of/reduced from the signal lines; I think that top, zig-zag bracket piece on the poles carried the 440 (maybe 220?).

 

Back when switch lamps were kerosene, it was the responsibility of section forces to keep them lit/extinguished.  I well remember a person of this craft walking around the Kenova Belt Line in the evening for this purpose.

 

Tim Hensley

 

On Friday, August 23, 2024 at 07:05:13 AM EDT, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote: 

 

 

See attached.  Looks like cable runs from lamp to a covered box set into the ground, but no indication of where the underground cable originated from.

Jim Cochran

 


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