8710's Nose

What's the deal with SD60 8710's nose. It has had it's classification lights removed and the holes are covered with duct tape. The cab's interior light is visible throught the tape at night. Why remove the lights if the holes are not patched over correctly? What is the purpose of removing the classification lights?

I'm not sure why, but I know NS has removed the majority if not all of their former CR units classification lights. Not sure why CSX did that to 8710. Maybe their was an electrical problem--who knows?

To me, duct tape would look really tacky. Why not add a small piece of metal then paint over it?

If the "class lights" (technically the Conrail locos have markers - not classification lights) are not operable, it's a FRA violation and the loco can't be used until they are repaired. Since they are no longer required, removing them eliminates the possibility that the loco can be taken out of service for inoperable "class lights". As for this particular loco, I'm guessing that the lights were found not to be working at a location that does running repairs, and the decision was made to taken them out and cover the openings with duct tape until the locomotive could be routed to a more "full service" shop (like Huntington, Waycross, Cumberland etc.) where the openings could be fully patched over.

The lights in the nose were almost never on. The rear lights were (still are) intact.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=477745
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=450049
Sometimes the unit looks trashy when the lights are removed and covered up. Duct Tape looks better than this.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=168192
SEASONS GREETINGS

This is bureaucrat-think run amuk.

Conrail had class lights on all, or almost all, of their power. The older ones were true classification lights - the lights had moveable filters that worked, green for passenger, white for extras, red for helpers at the rear - and this was on power ordered LONG after Amtrak and deregulation made passenger/extra identification obsolete.

On the newest road power, these lights were give red lenses and were used to identify helpers at the rear, or light engine movements, or power standing on the main - an alternative to leaving the headlights on dim. NORAC required the head end illuminated at all times; but power standing with the headlight dimmed confused motorists at grade crossings.

CSX...I don't know at what time, but somewhere along the line they decided that the "class" lights were obsolete. New power didn't have it. Older power had them removed at rebuild, patches welded on.

But, as Conrail power was absorbed into the CSX pool, the company was MANIC to remove these "class" lights. Even before repainting, the lights would be removed and patches welded or bolted on. It somehow became a top priority; hardly any ex-Conrail power has class lights now (some of the new repaint units kept them; it seems the Power Desk lost interest and some EMD WhisperCabs kept their red marker lights).

So why remove them and tape over the holes? Possibly a job was interrupted by the ever-present shortage of operable power. And possibly the candidate engine just got lost in the (again, ever-present) pandemonium.

CSX has a problem with priorities. When rear lighted number boards went out of fashion, UP and BNSF were content to paint over the Plexiglas and paint numbers on the skin. Not CSX; they removed the bulb racks and switches; but THEN ORDERED UP STICKERS TO PUT BELOW THE NUMBERBOARDS stating that the lights were removed in accordance with the numbered company directive!

This is typical of the nuttiness rampant in Jacksonville.

U-Haul wrote:The lights in the nose were almost never on. The rear lights were (still are) intact.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=477745
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=450049
Sometimes the unit looks trashy when the lights are removed and covered up. Duct Tape looks better than this.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=168192
SEASONS GREETINGS

I have seen the same patch job done like the unit on the bottom photo you have there done on a CSX GP 38 but they used blue paint to paint over the patch.

NS may not have marker or class lights but I have seen them useing colored Flags red, white, and Green placed on the Cabs being used in place of the removed class/marker lights.