Umair Gaines
The history of electric lighting in trains is a long and fascinating one. The first electric passenger train, powered by a generator, was presented by Werner von Siemens in Berlin in 1879. However, the use of electric lighting in trains didn't become widespread until much later. Early trains did not run at night, but as the demand for night travel grew, so did the need for illumination. The first known locomotive headlight was devised by Horatio Allen in 1832, consisting of a burning pile of wood on a flatcar with a giant reflector. While this method was impractical, it sparked further experimentation with electric lighting in trains. The first electric lighting systems were tested on American railroads in 1882, and in 1887, Pennsylvania installed steam-driven generators in the baggage cars of two of its trains, the Florida Special and the Chicago Limited. Despite the popularity of electric lighting among passengers, it remained costly and impractical, and it wasn't until the 1910s that electric lighting began to be fully adopted.
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What You'll Learn
The first electric locomotive
The Siemens locomotive of 1879 was a major innovation of the 19th century and sparked great interest, leading to similar electric railways being built in several other cities. The world's first electric tram line opened in Lichterfelde near Berlin, Germany, in 1881, followed by Volk's Electric Railway in Brighton in 1883. The first electrically worked underground line was the City and South London Railway, which opened in 1890 using electric locomotives built by Mather and Platt. The increasing use of tunnels, particularly in urban areas, and the noxious smoke from steam locomotives, encouraged the adoption of electric power for subways.
In the United States, the first use of electrification on an American main line occurred in 1895 on a four-mile stretch of the Baltimore Belt Line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). This connected the main portion of the B&O to the new line to New York through a series of tunnels around downtown Baltimore. However, electrification in the United States became more associated with dense urban traffic, and the use of electric locomotives declined in favour of dieselisation. In contrast, electrification continued to develop in Europe, where it is now widespread, with electric multiple units commonly used for passenger trains.
The development of very high-speed service in the 1980s brought further electrification, with dedicated high-speed lines built from scratch in Japan, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Electric locomotives have advantages over diesel, including higher power for the same weight and dimensions, and lower operating costs.
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Early train lighting
The earliest trains did not run at night and, as such, did not require electric lighting. However, the need for trains to run at night soon became apparent. In the United States, early records of headlight usage date back to 1832, when Horatio Allen devised the first known locomotive headlight. Allen's "headlight" consisted of a burning pile of wood on a flatcar, followed by a giant reflector on a second flatcar, pushed by a locomotive. While this method of illumination was impractical, other experimentation continued.
Oil lamps were introduced in 1842 to light trains. Economics drove the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to replace oil with coal gas lighting in 1870, but a gas cylinder explosion on the train led them to abandon the experiment. Oil-gas lighting was introduced in late 1870. The first electric passenger train and first electric locomotive powered by a generator were presented by Werner von Siemens in Berlin in 1879. The locomotive was driven by a 2.2 kW, series-wound motor, and the train, consisting of the locomotive and three cars, reached a speed of 13 km/h. During four months, the train carried 90,000 passengers on a 300-metre-long (980-foot) circular track. The electricity (150 V DC) was supplied through a third insulated rail between the tracks. A contact roller was used to collect the electricity.
The world's first electric tram line opened in Lichterfelde near Berlin, Germany, in 1881. It was built by Werner von Siemens. In October of the same year, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway successfully lit the passenger cars on the London to Brighton route using electricity, heralding the beginning of using electricity to light trains worldwide. In 1881, the North British Railway successfully generated electricity using a dynamo on the Brotherhood steam locomotive to provide electrical lighting in a train, a concept that was later called head-end power. High steam consumption led to the abandonment of the system. In 1883, London, Brighton and South Coast Railway started three trains with electricity generated on board using a dynamo driven from one of the axles. This charged a lead-acid battery in the guard's van, and the guard operated and maintained the equipment. The system successfully provided electric lighting in the train. In 1885, electric lighting was introduced in trains in Frankfurt am Main using a Moehring-type dynamo and accumulators. The dynamo was driven by pulleys and belts from the axle at speeds of 18 to 42 mph (29 to 68 km/h), and at lower speeds, the power was lost. In 1887, Pennsylvania installed steam-driven generators in the baggage cars of two of its best trains, the Florida Special and the Chicago Limited. In the same year, electric lighting was introduced in the baggage cars of the Florida Special and the Chicago Limited trains in the US.
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Headlights and marker lights
Ditch lights, also known as auxiliary or crossing lights, are additional lights positioned closer to the track than standard headlights, at the front and sometimes the rear of a locomotive or cab car. They improve the train's visibility for safety reasons. Many ditch lights are designed to flash when a train sounds its horn, further enhancing visibility. In the 1960s, Canadian National Railway introduced early versions of ditch lights on North American railroads, and by the 1970s, Transport Canada made them mandatory on locomotives. The United States followed suit, mandating their use on equipment operating over public grade crossings at speeds greater than 20 mph by December 31, 1997.
The earliest trains did not operate at night, but the need to do so soon became apparent. In 1832, Horatio Allen devised the first locomotive headlight, which consisted of a burning pile of wood on a flatcar followed by a giant reflector on a second flatcar, pushed by a locomotive. While this method was impractical, it sparked further experimentation. The first electric passenger train and electric locomotive powered by a generator were presented by Werner von Siemens in Berlin in 1879. This locomotive was driven by a 2.2 kW series-wound motor and reached a speed of 13 km/h during its four months of operation, carrying 90,000 passengers on a 300-meter-long circular track. The electricity (150 V DC) was supplied through a third insulated rail, and a contact roller collected the electricity.
The first electrically operated underground line, the City and South London Railway, opened in 1890, using electric locomotives built by Mather and Platt. Electric lighting became particularly attractive for use in tunnels, as smoke from steam locomotives was noxious and municipalities began to prohibit their use within their limits. Sprague's invention of multiple-unit train control in 1897 further promoted the adoption of electric power for subways. The first use of electrification on an American main line occurred in 1895 on a four-mile stretch of the Baltimore Belt Line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, connecting the main portion to a new line to New York through a series of tunnels.
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Ditch lights
The first electric passenger train was presented by Werner von Siemens in Berlin in 1879. The locomotive was driven by a 2.2 kW, series-wound motor, and the train, consisting of the locomotive and three cars, reached a speed of 13 km/h. The electricity (150 V DC) was supplied through a third insulated rail between the tracks.
The predecessor of the ditch lights was the Mars Light, which was designed by Jerry Kennelly, a firefighter from Chicago, in the late 1930s. The device, which was also applied to late-era steam locomotives on some railroads, was normally found only in passenger service since people were trackside more often. It normally consisted of two bulbs (either the same or different colours) rotating in a figure-eight pattern.
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Strobe lights
Trains have a variety of lights, including headlights, classification lights, and strobe lights. Strobe lights are used on locomotives to increase the train's visibility. They are also used as indicator lights above external doors to ensure that the train does not leave the station until all doors are closed.
In the US, regulations require all locomotives to have two flashing headlamps, which are typically xenon strobes. These flashing headlamps are used in conjunction with the main headlamp to improve safety at level crossings. The use of strobe lights is inconsistent, and not all rail operators use them. However, when used, the red strobe lights indicate that there is no operator in the cab, and white strobe lights are used for additional visibility during rough weather.
The earliest trains did not operate at night, but the need for night travel soon arose. The first-known locomotive headlight was devised by Horatio Allen in 1832 and consisted of a burning pile of wood on a flatcar followed by a giant reflector. While this method was impractical, it sparked further experimentation. The discovery of electricity led to tests with electric locomotive lights, with the earliest known example being a battery-operated light tested in Russia in 1874.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Westinghouse Air Brake company began replacing oil lamps with electric lamps, and Robert Pierce of Indianapolis developed an instrument that operated continuously from terminal to terminal. By 1913, a breakthrough was achieved with the development of a ductile tungsten filament and an improved method of attaching it to lead-in wires. In 1915, a US law was passed mandating that every train be equipped with an electric headlight.
In the UK, trains typically ran without true headlights at night, and separate headlights were used for day and night. Oil lamps were used for illumination inside carriages, and these were replaced at major stations to replenish the oil and trim the wicks.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the first trains did not run at night. The first electric passenger train was presented in Berlin in 1879, but it was not until the 1910s that electric lighting became widely used on trains.
In the US, early records of headlight usage date back to 1832. That year, Horatio Allen came up with the first known locomotive headlight, which consisted of a burning pile of wood on a flatcar, followed by a giant reflector on a second flatcar, pushed by a locomotive. While this method was impractical, other experiments continued. Oil lamps were introduced in 1842, and in 1870, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway replaced oil with coal gas lighting. However, a gas cylinder explosion led them to abandon this method.
The first electric lighting systems were tested on American railroads as early as 1882, when batteries were installed in Pennsylvania coach number 392. However, batteries were heavy and hard to install and maintain, so they were not a long-term solution. In 1881, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway successfully lit the passenger cars on the London to Brighton route with electricity, heralding the beginning of using electricity to light trains.
Early electric lighting systems faced several challenges. The batteries used in the 1882 Pennsylvania coach had short periods of use, typically 5-1/2 hours for batteries advertised as having discharge times of 7 hours. Steam-driven generators, which were introduced in the 1880s, had high steam consumption and required an attendant in the baggage car. Additionally, there were limitations in transmitting and controlling electrical power throughout the train.
By 1892, Milwaukee Road was running five electrically lit trains daily, and by 1904, they had 300 cars wired for electrical lighting. However, steam-driven generators and electrical lighting remained a novelty until about 1910. Electric lighting was popular with passengers but was not practical or economical. It was in the 1910s that electric lighting became widely adopted, with existing heavyweight cars using belt-driven, body-mounted generators, and new lightweight cars adopting an improved shaft drive and gearbox system.
