Victorian headlamp technology
Nevada State Railroad Museum Engineer Kevin Owens checks the results of some adjustments he's just made on the headlamp on Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. #1 "Glenbrook." As can be seen in this image, the headlamp on this little 1875-vintage Baldwin Mogul is an authentic, kerosene-burning, oil lamp. Needless to say, the lighting provided by this type of headlamp pales in comparison to that provided by the Pyle Electric Arc Lamps that became available just before the beginning of the 20th Century.
This image was captured during the last day of the August, 2021 "Victorian Iron Horse Round-Up" event at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. While there was no intent to actually run either of the two Victorian wood-burners at night, the engine crews were ultimately faced with that situation when a cross-railroad excursion from Antonito, CO to Chama, NM arrived at Cumbres Pass around sunset. The tandem duo of Eureka & Palisade #4 and Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. #1 would have to make the run from Cumbres to Chama in the dark. Ultimately, for safety reasons, the crews elected to station a crew member on the fireman's seat of Eureka, shining a powerful, battery-powered, LED spotlight on the track ahead. After talking with a crew member who was in the cab that night, it became obvious as to why they chose this course of action. When I asked him how effective Eureka's oil-lamp headlight was, his response was: "Just bright enough to see what you're about to hit."
Victorian headlamp technology
Nevada State Railroad Museum Engineer Kevin Owens checks the results of some adjustments he's just made on the headlamp on Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. #1 "Glenbrook." As can be seen in this image, the headlamp on this little 1875-vintage Baldwin Mogul is an authentic, kerosene-burning, oil lamp. Needless to say, the lighting provided by this type of headlamp pales in comparison to that provided by the Pyle Electric Arc Lamps that became available just before the beginning of the 20th Century.
This image was captured during the last day of the August, 2021 "Victorian Iron Horse Round-Up" event at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. While there was no intent to actually run either of the two Victorian wood-burners at night, the engine crews were ultimately faced with that situation when a cross-railroad excursion from Antonito, CO to Chama, NM arrived at Cumbres Pass around sunset. The tandem duo of Eureka & Palisade #4 and Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. #1 would have to make the run from Cumbres to Chama in the dark. Ultimately, for safety reasons, the crews elected to station a crew member on the fireman's seat of Eureka, shining a powerful, battery-powered, LED spotlight on the track ahead. After talking with a crew member who was in the cab that night, it became obvious as to why they chose this course of action. When I asked him how effective Eureka's oil-lamp headlight was, his response was: "Just bright enough to see what you're about to hit."