Use of oil handlamps

IIRC they were discontinued when R, CO and CP stocks were withdrawn from service.

I think the COs and CPs electric tail lamp was a red blind over one of the headlamps so they only had one electric lamp hence they needed the oil lamp as reserve.

Ealing Common westbound.


(Road training anyone? ;D )

[Thanks guys, but bear with me on this one for a mo. From what I can see, R stock did have twin red electric lenses on its headstocks. The Ealing Common picture I posted, and it is R stock I think, has the oil lamp attached. So, on the assumption that there was a MoT legal requirement, and the basis of this was founded on not being able to trust a single red lens/shutter on the CO/CP or Q stock, are we saying that the District Line (and by inference, the rest of LT) translated that legal requirement into a standard practice for all trains until the final CO/CP went in 1981?

Russ

Yes Russ you are quite right in the assumption. There was a proposal in the mid sixties from LT (as it was then) to only carry oil tail lamps on stock with only one electric tail lamp but the MOT said no-no all the stock on any given line must carry the oil lamp even if fitted with twin tails lights. On tube lines where all the stock had twin tails lights this did not apply. Apparently this ruling was to obviate confusion as they thought a single electric tail lamp could be confused with a red signal....Yeah the logic beats me too!

P.S I'll look through my old rules and regs supplements and see if I can find the relevant.

D Stock you are right. Thanks for refeshing my memory. I also used to have the oil lamp lit and got the p*ss taken for so doing, But you can never be too safe mate.

Pending Q8's perusal of the rules and regs, can I tentatively conclude that for LT passenger trains:

• Oil handlamps were required to be used on all stock having only one electric red rear light, and that this requirement applied to any stock whose twin red rears were not separately fused.
  
  
• On the presumption that the MoT/HSE logic (hmmm...) still stands, twin red rear lights on all stock are now separately fused, and have been so since at least circa 1983?

I note the MoT/HSE 'position' seems never to have been applied to other railways in the UK.

Russ

Right I've had a scrute through the R & R books and found these so far:

General regulations concerning the working of trains on lines except the Victoria line 1969. Section "L" Head and tail lights.

L6 - An electric tail light is provided on all passenger stock trains. On all tube stock and "R" "A60" "A62" surface stock two electric tail lights are provided. On some stock the electric tail ight is formed by placing a red glass in front of a white headlight (This was Q23 motor cars) The Motorman is responsible for displaying the tail lights at the rear of the train.

L7 - Oil tail lamps must only be removed from, or placed on, the brackets a train is stationary. Staff removing a tail lamp or placing it in position must do so through the end door. Tail lamps must not be changed by a person getting down on the track or reaching across from a platform. When not in use, oil lamps must be kept within view on the floor of the driving cab or on a bracket provided.

L8 - In the evenmt of a failure of the electric tail lights a hand lamp or an oil tail lamp must be used to display a red light at the rear of the train. A hand lamp or oil tail lamp must be used when necessary as a red light on a train or portion of a train running in the wrong direction, or as a tail light on the rear vehicle of the front portion of a divided train proceeding as a separate unit if the electric tail lights cannot be used for these purposes.

Regulations concerning working of trains. District Line. Section "A"

A15 - Oil tail lamps are provided on the leading and rear vehicles of all trains.

(b) The Guard is responsible for ensuring that an oil tail lamp, properly cleaned and trimmed, is always exhibited on the rear of the last vehicle of his train when on any running line. and that the lamp is alight at all times when the train is on the running line.

(c) In addition to an oil tail lamp, an electric tail lamp is provided on all passenger stock trains (on "R" stock, two electric tail lights are fitted). The electric tail light(s) must always be exhibited at the rear of the train when the train is on the running lines. Oil tail lamps must not be exhibited between the intermediate cars of a train. The electric tail lights must always be switched off when a train is stabled in order to prevent the batteries becoming exhausted.

(d) Platform staff must. where practicable, watch each train as it passes and satisfy themselves that the oil tail lamp is in position on the train. If the oil tail lamp is missing from any train, or both (on "R" stock all) tail light (oil & electric) are out when they should be burning, or headlights are exhibited at the rear of the train, the staff at the next station in advance must immediately be told so that the train may be stopped and the Guard told to remedy the the irregularity. If only one tail lamp (oil or electric) is exhibited on a train, the Signalman (or station staff where there is no signalman or the latter is unable to observe the tail lights of passing trains) must arrange for the Guard to be told of the circumstance at the next station at which the train is booked to stop. If a message cannot be transmitted to the signal box or station in advance quickly enough to tell the Guard, the message must be passed forward from box to box or station to station until the irregularity has been corrected. If a train not exhibiting a tail light has proceeded, the Motorman of the following train must be told. The line controller must told of all cases of trains being specially stopped in the circumstances described above.

(e) Oil tail lamps must only be removed from or placed on the brackets while the train is stationary, and the staff removing a tail lamp or placing it in position must do so through the end door. Tail lamps must not be changed by a person getting down on the track or reaching across from a platform. When not in use, oil tail lamps must be kept on the floor of the driving cab.
(f) Spare oil tail lamps are provided at the stations listed below and may be used to replace a defective oil tail lamp.
Upminster - Lamp room in depot.
Whitechapel - Outside Inspector's office on the westbound platform.
Mansion House - Outside the Inspector's office on the westbound platform.
Earl's Court - Outside the Inspector's office on the westbound platform.
Hammersmith - In passageway at west end of eastbound platform.
Turnham Green - Near telephone cabinet on westbound platform.

I trust all that clarifies matters regarding oil tail lamps.

Also IRRC "R" stock DID have a separate fuse for each electric tail lamp rated at 5 amps.

There used to be a sort of running joke when new Guards came on the job when an instructor or anybody else for that matter would ask the recruit "What do you do if the oil tail lamp fuse blows"? The number of poor kids that used to get flummoxed by that was legion.

"What should you do if MCB fuse blows?"

"What should you do if MCB fuse blows?"

Get hold of it. shake it rapidly and see what comes of it.