Trains with tail lights at both ends?

[gavino200]

I have two trains that have tail lights at both ends - the orient express and an old Imperial train. I know what this is for - I think. At the end of the journey the loco is uncouple, and recoupled at the other end. The carriages then get pulled home in the opposite direction. The front car becomes the back.

 

I run DCC, so both cars light up all the time. I think this looks pretty bad. My question is whether I should put decoders in both ends, or simple disable the light at one end. If I put decoders on both ends then the "Tail lights" at the front of the train will light when the train is reversing, which will look odd. There's no reason to have tail lights on, at the front of the train as they're blocked by the loco. 

 

I'm guessing that in real life these red lights weren't directional in the sense that say, a Shinkansen has directional lights. Rather the one at the back would be simple turned on for one leg of the journey and left on until the train was reversed. I doubt that the tail light would go off if the loco were to reverse for a short difference for some reason.

 

I'm leaning toward just disabling the lights on one end. I don't do any realistic "operating session" type play.

[Kiha66]

I would go for the last option.  Usually kato has some method of turning off the tail lights in a car so it shouldn't be too hard assuming this set matches their other Japanese offerings.  

[Sheffie]

Yeah, if you know that you will always  reverse the train, and will not be moving the loco to the other end to pull it backwards, I’d just disconnect the tail lights on the front carriage. 

 

The banetsu monogatari coaches have similar lights. They’re not really noticeable with a steam locomotive right next to them, but they’re on. 

 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Sheffie

[gavino200]

Thanks! One, but not both of the Orient Express end cars had a trapdoor for an FL12. It's designed to fit one of those cream plastic "switches" but oddly a switch wasn't included in the set. I checked the extra bits. Fortunately, I have a few spare ones, so problem solved.

 

[Kiha66]

Interesting the other end does not come with one.  I wonder what light board they used in it, seems odd to have the option only on one end.  Thanks for the update!

[chadbag]

24 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

Thanks! One, but not both of the Orient Express end cars had a trapdoor for an FL12. It's designed to fit one of those cream plastic "switches" but oddly a switch wasn't included in the set. I checked the extra bits. Fortunately, I have a few spare ones, so problem solved.

 

 

About half my new-in-box KATO stuff that takes FL12 don't have the plastic switches in the box, FYI. 

 

[gavino200]

14 minutes ago, Kiha66 said:

Interesting the other end does not come with one.  I wonder what light board they used in it, seems odd to have the option only on one end.  Thanks for the update!

 

I wondered about that. I didn't remove the floor. The two cars are what looks like a bagage/service car, and a video/movie/cinema car. The movie car is the one without the on/off option. It also seems the obvious choice for end car. It has a small observation sear at the back. Also, I wouldn't want to watch a movie right next to a steam loco. I had already chosen this car as the end car on these grounds before I noticed that it didn't have a switch.

 

Interestingly the cinema car also has no slots to add interior lighting. That makes sense, but I'd never seen that before. Actually I was quite relieved, I didn't have to install another light.

[defor]

I have a somewhat related question to OP-

The Kato Koki 106/107 set only comes with one LED equipped car- is this prototypical in some way, or are all koki 107 equipped with rear lights and they're turned on only when needed?

Non-cab koki 50000 has LED via a tomix offering at least (even if kato has nothing, I can still work with this)... but do koki 106 simply have no lights in prototype form?

 

Also, what happens when a train of koki's needs to be pulled backwards? Some stations are end stations and I have seen no way that an engine can reverse their loads based on track diagrams, so I'm baffled what happens- especially having seen trains being pulled in, then leaving with an engine on the opposite end.

 

sorry for the somewhat convoluted question- I simply have a lot of rolling stock on the way and am finalizing both my b-train and fullsize layouts to fit actual freight operations.

[katoftw]

All those koki have tail light versions. Mainly used in Hokkaido.

 

Orherwise just the normal red reflective discs will work.

 

Koki for freight can be pulled and pushed. So how they enter the freight yard is of little concern.

[Kamome]

Koki’s in northern Kyushu don’t have any  tail lights. All use only the removable red reflectors.