Headlight Placement

[High Hood]

So I've been noticing that it seems like the headlight placement of diesels is kinda random. For instance, one order of SD70ACe's may have a high headlight and the next may have a low headlight. Another example I noticed is that CSX was ordering SD70MAC's with high numberboards and headlights, while GE's from the same time were arriving with low numberboards and headlights.

Is there any reasons why a railroad would choose different placement specifications for different orders? I'm really curious as to what would cause these changes.

[ednadolski]

Is there any reasons why a railroad would choose different placement specifications for different orders?

To drive the rivet-counters crazy...?   

[jagged ben]

This trainorders discussion has some interesting comments as to the reasons why one might prefer a high headlight instead of a nose headlight, although there's nothing to confirm these were the reasons that railroad higher-ups made ordering decisions.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,2893730,nodelay=1

Namely, it mentions that a nose headlight is a potential burn hazard (probably temporary blinding too) for a crew member on the front platform.  Meanwhile, high headlights are a problem in fog where the reflection decreases visibility, which is offered as the reason that ATSF started moving all their headlights to the nose in 1988.  I'm sure there's other reasons.  So which is more important to you and your railroad?

To this you can add that GE's default location since the wide cabs started has always been the nose, and other locations (as seen only on NS as far as I've notice) are special order.  Whereas default for EMD has always been between the numberboards, but EMD has more examples of nose headlights being special ordered over the years especially in the pre-wide cab era,  In the case of CSX in the SD70MAC era that was just the manufacturers default positions, and apparently CSX didn't care.

[Albert in N]

Thanks High Hood and Jagged Ben!  I often wondered about that while watching prototype locomotives.  For perspective, here are two N scale Kato diesels, AC4400CW and SD70M on my Hollow Core Door Carpet Central with Kato Unitrack.  I was unable to illuminate the headlights since I use DC analog MRC Tech4 and these locos run like Katos!  They are running like 60 on 6 volts in order for the headlights to illuminate well.  Uncle Pete (UP) still runs SD70Ms and AC4400CWs on local freights and like my Katos, the real things have the same headlight placement (nose on GEs and between cab top number boards on the Electromotives).

[High Hood]

Thanks @jagged ben. After looking into it, it appears around 2008 or 2009 that EMD switched the default location of the headlight to the nose. When the GEVO’s came out seems to be when GE switched the numberboards to the cab while retaining the nose headlight.

[Mark5]

Some insight re: NS practice:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,2718520

Mark

[Hawghead]

I can tell you in practice there is very little, if any, difference.

Scott