Sort of a guiz question

[Ashley 288]

Expect such to be quickly answered by the "experts" but why did the old steam trains have a red light on the back of them?

[denshaw 2,877]

Brothel in the Guards van?

[firbeck 860]

So he knew when to jump out the cab when the following driver realised another train was parked on the same bit of track.

[Limey 242]

For the same reason they have red lights on the back of a car - so you know which end is which! !rotfl!

Don't know about over there, but they stopped using them here about the same time they stopped using a guards/brake van/caboose - late 70's - much to the chagrin of the union!

[Ashley 288]

no guards vans here now either, but still have a red light on the back, not sure if reason is still the same though? As regards your answer Limey when I built an outragious easy rider style chop I went to police traffic dept to ask what lighting was required to be legal (suspecting I'd get pulled regularly) and was told "a white one on the front and a red one on the back" When pushed the officer did give better details, recall a minimum of 4 watt on the front and no dip/main beam required

[Fynger 841]

And wots happnin with indicators....when i used to build trikes I was told that on the back the indicator HAD to be the furthest light out.....lookin at modern cars...they wer'nt told the same.

[Beefsteak 305]

I know that a motorbike doesn't have to have indicators fitted , but if it does , they have to be in working order!!

[Ashley 288]

ditto steam locomotives and talking of motorbikes A young yours truely on his first bike, I thought I was arthur lampkin! any ideas on the "scramble course"

[Fynger 841]

Looks like back yards in the Medders ( lookin to be an extra in 'Saturday Night , Sunday Mornin' )

[Ashley 288]

Better give the answer before the topic vanishes without trace! the red rear light was mistakenly thought of as a warning to following trains that something was on the line, however such would give little time to brake etc by time such was seen. It was only recently when I was looking at some accident report of a train crash (no doubt the red light seen but no time to stop) that I learn of it's real reason.

Old loose coupled trains had a habit of breaking their joining chains, or the latter jumping off, this is what happened one foggy night night at weekday cross, the last so many wagons left stranded, the rest of the train continued until stopped at bulwell common having passed signal boxes at victoria (2) carrington, new basford and bagthorpe, only at the latter did the signalman notice no red light on the end of the train and reported such to bulwell as proof it had parted and that was the reason said light was there. All 4 other signalmen had reported seeing the non existant red light, and surprisingly all told they had been naughty and not to do it again!

As regards "scramble course" where Asda Car Park now stands Radford Rd, just think they pulled down those houses (inc my grans) on Noel St behind me to build Hyson Green Flats and now those too have vanished, talk about progress!