PYLE-NATIONAL ELECTRIC HEADLIGHT
1. Q. Why are electric headlights applied to locomotives?
A. Electric headlights are applied to locomotives so that the engineer may have a clear view of the track for enough ahead of the train to enable him to protect the company's property in his charge.
2. Q. How far ahead of the engine should the arc headlight illuminate the track?
A. Not less than from fifteen to twenty telegraph poles.
3. Q. State how you would focus the lamp.
A. First, would adjust back of the reflector so front edge of reflector will be parallel with front edge of case. Second, adjust the lamp to have point of copper electrode as near the center of reflector as possible with carbons as near the center of the chimney holes as you can set them. Third, have the locomotive on straight track. Now move the base of the lamp around until you get a parallel beam of white light straight down the center of the track, then tighten the lamp down.
4. Q. If the light throws shadows upon the track, is it properly focused?
A. No.
5. Q. If the light is properly focused, that is, if the rays are leaving the reflector in parallel lines, but the light does not strike the center of the track, what should be done?
A. When the light rays are thrown out in parallel lines and they do not strike the center of the track, it denotes that the headlight case is not set straight with the engine, and the entire case on base board must be shifted until the shaft of light strikes the track as desired.
6. Q. What can you do to insure a good and unfailing light for the entire trip?
A. By carefully inspecting the entire equipment before departing on each trip, and know that there are no wires with insulation charred or worn off, that all screws and connections are tight, commutator clean and brushes set in brush holder in proper manner. Carbon in lamp of sufficient length to complete trip, and that the carbon will feed through the clutch freely and rests central over the copper electrode. Copper electrode cleaned off, oil in both bearings and see that steam does not blow at stuffing box gland.
7. Q. What kind of oil and how much would you use in the bearings of the electric headlight equipment?
A. Would use the best grade of black or engine oil furnished for both bearings and only enough oil in oil cellar that the revolving loose oil ring may trail through the oil. When bearings are supplied with oil cups, use a heavy oil such as good engine or valve oil.
8. Q. Why should you not use valve oil in these bearings?
A. Valve oil cannot be used successfully in the main bearing because of its heavy body. Valve oil could not be carried up to shaft by the oil ring in cold weather, as the ring will not revolve.
9. Q. What is the most vital part of the dynamo?
A. The commutator.
10. Q. What care or attention should be given the commutator?
A. The commutator must be kept clean, free from dirt, and the mica must be kept filed a trifle below the surface of the copper bars.
11. Q. What kind of a bearing should the brush have on the commutator?
A. Brushes should be fitted to have a bearing with the same contour as the commutator.
12. Q. How are the brushes fitted?
A. Brushes are fitted by cutting a strip of No. 0 sandpaper about the width of the commutator surface (have the dynamo idle), place the strips of sandpaper under the brush, then pull the sandpaper from left to right; continue this process until the brush has been fitted to a true smooth bearing. Then trim about one-eighth inch off of the front edge of the brush.
13. Q. Is it advisable to ever try to fit a brush with a file or knife?
A. Most emphatically no. You could not get a bearing across the brush no matter how hard you might try with either a file or a knife.
14. Q. Why is it important to clean the scale off of the point of the copper electrode each trip?
A. The scale on the copper electrode after it has cooled off is a non-conductor of current, and acts as a blind gasket between the carbon and the copper electrode. Unless this scale is removed, the current cannot pass between the points of carbon and electrode and you cannot, therefore, have a light. When the dynamo fields are compound wound, it is unnecessary to clean scale from copper electrode oftener than once a week, at which time copper electrode should be removed from holder and all scale cleaned off. (With compound wound dynamo fields the cab lamps will continue to burn when head-lamp is extinguished by lifting carbon by hand.)
15. Q. How should the copper electrode be trimmed at the point?
A. The copper electrode should have about one-eighth inch surface on the contact point.
16. Q. How far should the copper electrode project over the holder?
A. About one inch.
17. Q. Should the electrode be raised up to one and one-half inches, what might happen?
A. If the copper electrode was run at a point so near the clutch, the intense heat of the arc might do damage to the top carbon holder and clutch.
18. Q. What regulation should be given to the tension spring No. 93 of the lamp, and why?
A. This tension spring, No. 93, should be regulated when the current is off the lamp and should be adjusted only tight enough to pull the magnet yoke up against the top stop lug on the side of lamp column.
19. Q. If this tension spring was tightened too tightly, what might happen?
A. At usual speed between stations, the movement of the engine would impart an added resistance against the pull of the solenoid by the tension spring, which would shorten up the arc and dim down the light.
20. Q. Is there anything else that could cause the light to dim down when the engine is running fast?
A. Yes; if the spring No. 92-A that hold the heel of the clutch should be too weak, the heel of the clutch would be forced up by the motion of the locomotive; this would release the carbon which would fall to the point of the copper electrode, causing the light to dim down, or, if the clutch should be used until the sharp edge that grips the carbon should have become worn smooth or round, the same would occur.
21. Q. If the light burns satisfactorily while the engine is in motion, but goes out when engine is stopped, where would you find the trouble?
A. This trouble is most always found to be caused by the tension spring No. 93 being too weak, though if the dash-pot plunger has become corroded until it sticks in the dash-pot, the light will act the same as if the tension spring were too weak.
22. Q. If the dash-pot should be found stuck, would you put oil in it?
A. Coal oil could be used to clean and cut the dirt out of the pot and from off the plunger, but after the dash-pot and plunger have been cleaned, all oil must be wiped off, for oil would cause the plunger to stick as well as collect dirt.
23. Q. If the carbon of lamp should "jig or pound", what can be done to stop it?
A. If the carbons pound the electrode, it is evidence that the iron armature No. 64 may be too far out of the solenoid, or the speed of the turbine engine may be too slow. This trouble can be remedied by adding another link to the suspension link, which has one end connected to the magnet yoke, the other end being connected to the iron armature No. 64. If, however, when the arc is formed, it is found that the bottom end of iron armature No. 64 measures one-half inch from bottom of solenoid, the pounding is caused by the speed of turbine engine being too slow.
24. Q. If the copper electrode was fusing, how would you know it?
A. When the copper electrode is fused, a green light is always given off.
25. Q. What should be done when a green light is seen?
A. Immediately close off on the steam throttle until a white light re-appears.
26. Q. What is the cause of the fusing of the copper electrode?
A. Usually too high speed of the armature, although should you connect the wires up wrong that the current flowing from the dynamo to the lamp should enter the lamp at the electrode instead of passing through the carbon first, you would get a green light and fuse the electrode.
27. Q. What arrangements have been made so that you cannot connect the wires wrong?
A. The positive binding posts, both at the dynamo and the lamp, have been provided with a much larger hole to receive the wire than has been made in the negative binding posts, and the ends of the positive wire should always be bent or doubled back, so that they will just enter the receptacle in the positive binding posts, but cannot be connected at the negative binding posts.
28. Q. Should the copper electrode and holder become fused until no longer serviceable while on the road, what would you do?
A. Would remove the damaged holder from the lamp and substitute either an iron bolt of sufficient length or a carbon, securing the improvised electrode in the bracket of lamp same as the electrode holder is held, only being sure that the end of the bolt or carbon comes up into the center of the reflector and did not rest on the base of reflector or lamp.
29. Q. What is the difference between a series wound equipment and a compound wound equipment, and what advantages are obtained from the use of the compound equipment.
A. With the series wound equipment, the incandescent cab lights burn only with the arc lamp, while with the compound machine the incandescent lamps are independent of the arc and can be used as desired.
30. Q. If you were running along with your light burning steadily and nicely, then suddenly the light began to flash badly and kept it up, where would you look for the trouble?
A. Trouble would usually be found at one of the binding posts, where one of the binding post screws would be found loose.
31. Q. If you were running along with light burning satisfactorily and suddenly it went out, where would you be likely to find the trouble?
A. You would find that either the carbon had burned out, one of the lead wires had broken between the dynamo and the lamp, or one of the wires had gotten loose at the binding post and fallen out.
32. Q. If the light goes out while you are between stations, what course should an engineer pursue?
A. If the light goes out while you are between stations and an investigation cannot be made within a few minutes thereafter to determine the cause, the steam should be shut off from the turbine and the dynamo stopped until such time when the cause of failure can be determined.
33. Q. Why is it essential to shut off steam and stop the equipment?
A. For the reason that if the failure was due to a short circuit, damage might be done to the coils or armature by overheating.
34. Q. How does the equipment act when short-circuited?
A. When there is short circuit, the engine will labor heavily, run slow with a large volume of steam blowing at the exhaust, there will be no light shown either at the arc or cab lamps, and the carbon point and cab lights will only show a dull red or go entirely out.
35. Q. How will the equipment act when the circuit is broken, either by a broken disconnected wire or a burned-out carbon?
A. With a broken circuit the engine will run noiselessly and fast with very little steam blowing at exhaust and no light will be seen at the arc or on cab lights.
36. Q. If the insulation on the cab wires is worn off until your two wires can come together either directly or through the medium of some metallic substance, what would occur?
A. A short circuit would result that would put out all of your lights.
37. Q. What should be done?
A. Wrap the exposed wire, if you can locate it, with a piece of waste, or if you cannot locate the short circuit, disconnect one of your cab wires from the dynamo. This would give you the benefit of the arc lamp and you can look for the trouble at your leisure.
38. Q. If the light goes out when steam drops back fifteen to twenty pounds, what is the trouble?
A. Either one of the governor valves is stuck shut, short bushing No. 18 in engine cab is worn badly, allowing wheel to drop away from the governor stand so steam passes around wheel to exhaust, or governor springs are too weak.
39. Q. In this case what should be done?
A. Report of the action of the dynamo should be made upon the work book at the terminal.
40. Q. If clutch rod No. 78-B should break while on the road, what could be done to get use of the lamp?
A. A piece of wire could be used by fastening one end around the end of top lever No. 59, the other end being attached to clutch through eye.
41. Q. If you should lose the clothespin holder or top carbon clutch, what could be done to get the light?
A. Would fasten a wire around the carbon and top holder to keep carbon in line, being careful not to get the wire either too tight or too loose.
42. Q. If you should lose the iron armature No. 64 in solenoid, what could be done to get use of light?
A. Would use a common iron bolt and suspend same by wire in magnet.
43. Q. What would be the result if any of the levers of the lamp should bind?
A. All levers of the lamp must work absolutely free and must not drag, for if they are not perfectly free the carbon cannot feed properly.
Pyle-National Electric Incandescent Headlight
44. Q. What is meant by an incandescent headlight equipment?
A. A headlight having an electric incandescent lamp in the reflector in place of the usual oil or acetylene gas flame, and electric instead of oil cab lamps, the electricity being generated by a small combination steam-turbine and electric generator. Suitable wiring distributes the electric current.
45. Q. In what manner does the incandescent headlight differ from the arc headlight?
A. It is not so powerful. An incandescent or bulb type of lamp takes the place of the arc lamp in the headlight reflector. The current being less than is required for an arc, is supplied by a smaller turbine.
46. Q. What type of incandescent lamp is used in the reflector?
A. A low voltage, gas filled bulb, containing a very compact or concentrated fillament.
47. Q. Why cannot a standard or house type of lamp be successfully used in the reflector?
A. Because the fillament or light-giving wire inside the bulb is not sufficiently compact or concentrated to reflect the light in the form of a beam. The voltage of the house lamp is also too high to be used on a locomotive installation.
48. Q. How is the lamp held in place in the reflector?
A. By the usual socket, into which the lamp screws. The socket is a part of the focusing device, one type of which holds the lamp in a horizontal position, while in the other the lamp is held vertically or upright.
49. Q. Before turning the steam into the turbine, what precautions should be observed?
A. The turbo-generator should be lubricated by a small amount of black or engine oil, placed in the cup on the turbine or steam end. On the generator end, the oil should be maintained within one-half inch of the top of the hinge-cover cup; using black oil. The drainage of the steam end is cared for automatically by a three-eighth inch drain pipe without a valve. The pipe should be kept open.
50. Q. How do you proceed when you wish to use the light?
A. Open the globe valve in the steam pipe to the turbo-generator, at least two turns. The water-glass, steam and air gauge lamps in the cab, and the number indicator lamp in the headlight case should light up as soon as the turbo-generator reaches full speed. A double-throw knife switch in the cab controls the headlight. In one position the switch gives the full brilliancy of the headlight. The opposite or "dimmer" position reduces the brilliancy about one-half. When the switch bar is in neither position the headlight is entirely out, and only the number lamp is burning. The classification lamp, lubricator and order or reading lamp, are controlled by a small switch on the socket of each lamp.
51. Q. For what purpose is the dimmer, and how does it operate?
A. It is to reduce the intensity of the headlight when locomotive is in yards or around stations. It consists of a small resistance tube in the wiring circuit, and with the cab switch in dimmer position, a portion of the current is converted into heat instead of light.
52. Q. How is an incandescent headlight focussed?
A. By moving the lamp in its position in the reflector until the most brilliant and compact beam of light is obtained. If the beam does not strike the track centrally, or as high or low, the headlight case must be moved on its platform until the beam is properly directed. It is often necessary to raise the front or back of the case by shimming between the case and its platform in order to direct the beam of light the proper distance ahead of the locomotive.
53. Q. What provision is made for moving or focussing the lamp in the reflector?
A. When the lamp is mounted horizontally there are thumb screws by which the lamp may be moved sidewise, up and down, and forward and backward. This mounting is called the "micrometer" device, because of the accuracy of adjustment. With the vertical mounting, a flat head thumb screw at the base of the lamp support releases the ball joint so that the lamp may be easily moved sidewise or forward and backward. To raise or lower the lamp, the thumb screw higher on the lamp stand must be loosened.
54. Q. What causes a "black spot" in the illumination ahead of the locomotive?
A. The lamp is out of focus, being too far ahead or back of the proper position in the reflector.
55. Q. How would you remedy the following possible defects?
A. (a) All lamps fail to burn. If turbine is not running the wrong steam valve in the cab may have been opened, or there may be a second valve, closed, in the steam pipe. The screen on the governor valve in the turbine may be clogged. Remove brass cap at top of turbine and unscrew screen or strainer-cap.
(b) Turbo-generator runs, but no lights. Wires may be "short-circuited" (crossed) which will cause brushes to spark badly, and turbo-generator to pull hard. The "short" can usually be found by an occasional sparking or smoke at the point of trouble. Separate and protect wires when short is found. The brushes may be "cocked up" as left by some repair man. Open the dynamo door and see that the brushes bear on the copper commutator. A wire may be loose at the dynamo binding posts (which may be seen when the dynamo door is open), or at the main switch in the cab. A main wire may have broken. (All locomotives are not equipped with fuse plugs.) A fuse plug may have become loose or burnt out. Replace with new fuse plugs or break an incandescent lamp and twist the leads in the base together, when the base may be screwed into the fuse plug socket, answering the purpose of a fuse plug, temporarily.
(c) Headlight fails to burn. Examine the wires between cab switch and head lamp for breaks or disconnections. Examine fuse plugs (which are sometimes in head lamp circuit only) and proceed as in (b) if trouble is found there. Headlight bulb may not be screwed in far enough to make contact in the socket, as the lock-sockets provided to prevent lamps loosening cause lamp to screw in hard. Lamp may have broken fillament. Replace with proper type of lamp or use a cab lamp.
(d) Lamps burn dim. Steam valve not open wide enough. Boiler pressure too low. Brushes sparking badly on commutator of dynamo—due to poor contact. Governor or steam-valve of turbine improperly adjusted.
(e) Lamps burn too brightly. Improper turbine regulation. Throttle the steam valve in cab until lamps are reduced to proper brilliancy. Report all irregularities on arriving at terminal.