The LNER Encyclopedia

Were the electric generator and lamps as fitted to various late L.N.E.R. classes a success? Or, as appears, an unmitigated failure! I have been doing a few scans of early A1s and, even at one year old, they have oil lamps stuck on top of the electric ones. Sorry if this has been raised before, but I am a rather new to this forum.

The electic lights worked OK but were not accepted as replacements for oil headlamps, these were also more visible during daylight hours to denote the train class. Electric tail lights were fitted to diesels when introduced but an oil lamp was still required, if you didn't have one you would be stopped by the more observant signalmen!

Yes, it sems to be a classic case of one department not consulting fully with another before introducing something, just be glad that sort of thing doesn't happen on todays fully integrated railways.

I read somewhere of a signalman refusing to let a brand new B1 out of The Plant without oil lamps, saying that he worked for the Traffic dept, not the Loco.

As they say...rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obeyance of fools!

Todays railways...I leave you to decide which is which!

When I was a fireman at Darnall,[1950s] I found that bulbs from carriage lights fitted the electric lamps on B!s.

Needles to say most of our B1s had working electric lights for years after other depots had failed, several of us used to make sure they worked as it saved messing about with parrafin ect for the older type lights