Loco-hauled Stock with Tail Lights?

[GDorsett]

How are the tail lights controlled on loco-hauled stock? Are they left on all the time when at the end of a train or do they get turned on/off when a locomotive is connected?

On my HO 21/13 series coaches, the lights stay on all the times at both ends, but it's only a four-car set and it gets reversed and run around regularly due to short branch lines or switching games, so it doesn't bother me. That said, as I build full trains in HO and start to convert some of my Blue Trains in N to DCC, should I just leave them unconverted and the lights on all the time or should I put decoders in them so I can turn the lights on and off? How is the prototype controlled?

[Kiha66]

I believe the marker lights are controlled by a light switch in each car.  So a conductor would turn them off when not needed, and since they mark the end of a train it would normally only be the end car which would have them on.  The kato coaches I have in HO (oha 35 series) all have switches underneath so you can choose just the end car to be lit.

[GDorsett]

Oh, I forgot about this. I'm sorry. Forgot to turn on the notifications for this thread.

 

So tail lights are only on for the end of the train, they're not turned on by default?

Now, if the train will be left without a locomotive for longer than the time it takes to switch them, do they turn on lights at both ends?