Roger E. Broggie steam locomotive new headlight

EricsBiscuit

EricsBiscuit

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The Roger E. Broggie steam locomotive number 3, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works has received a new LED headlight. I just noticed it today but couldn't get a good picture. This is good because of enhanced lighting at night and reduced electricity consumption.

Edit: this change has not made its way to all the locomotives yet.

Update: just saw that Roy O. Disney has the LED headlight too. Which, leaves the Lilly Belle and potentially Walter E. Disney. We have to wait 2 years to find out the latter.
 
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Captain Barbossa

Captain Barbossa

Well-Known Member
EricsBiscuit said:
The Roger E. Broggie steam locomotive number 3, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works has received a new LED headlight. I just noticed it today but couldn't get a good picture. This is good because of enhanced lighting at night and reduced electricity consumption.

Edit: this change has not made its way to all the locomotives yet.

Update: just saw that Roy O. Disney has the LED headlight too. Which, leaves the Lilly Belle and potentially Walter E. Disney. We have to wait 2 years to find out the latter.
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I thought the Lilly Belle got the LED headlight while she was at Strasburg. In terms of Roger and Roy, do the headlights look bad/tacky?

P.S.
By the way, thanks for posting this. It's been awhile since we have gotten some WDWRR news.
 
roj2323

roj2323

Well-Known Member
EricsBiscuit said:
The Roger E. Broggie steam locomotive number 3, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works has received a new LED headlight. I just noticed it today but couldn't get a good picture. This is good because of enhanced lighting at night and reduced electricity consumption. Update: just saw that Roy O. Disney has the LED headlight too.
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It's kind of crazy to think of technology that's so old using Technology that's so modern. It's really quite something.
 
EricsBiscuit

EricsBiscuit

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Captain Barbossa said:
I thought the Lilly Belle got the LED headlight while she was at Strasburg. In terms of Roger and Roy, do the headlights look bad/tacky?

P.S.
By the way, thanks for posting this. It's been awhile since we have gotten some WDWRR news.
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No Lilly has the old one and no they are not tacky at all. If I go back to MK tomorrow I'll grab some photos. Lilly should be updated soon.
 
DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
If they use the right color temperature LED you can't tell difference in LED and incandescent lights. I would not be surprised if the also converted the lights on the passenger cars to LED too because the generator on the locomotive uses a lot of steam. I have a question for you locomotive experts. I am familiar with a lot of the "technical information" about the locomotives, but I am curious as to what voltage the generator provides and if it is AC or DC? I would guess DC since it would be difficult to regulate the frequency in this type operation but have never tried to find that information.
 
DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
hakunamatata said:
Excellent question.
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There is a turbine driven generator. On some of the locomotives it is mounted on top of the boiler just in front of the cab. On Walter the steam dome and pop off valves are right in from of the cab so I don't know where his generator is.
If your are interested here is a link to a video of a generator used on a train:
 
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Disney-Trains

Disney-Trains

Well-Known Member
When Southern #4501 was recently rebuilt she got LED running lights under the cab... Looks so strange at night with the "led white" glowing near the firebox.

You can't really adjust the Dynamo can you? I don't think the power consumption would matter at all but bulb life would be longer im sure.

(Dynamo is the steam generator... What I mean is I think it's either on or off, so converting to LED doesn't save power consumption since the Dynamo is still producing the power).
 
DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
Disney-Trains said:
When Southern #4501 was recently rebuilt she got LED running lights under the cab... Looks so strange at night with the "led white" glowing near the firebox.

You can't really adjust the Dynamo can you? I don't think the power consumption would matter at all but bulb life would be longer im sure.

(Dynamo is the steam generator... What I mean is I think it's either on or off, so converting to LED doesn't save power consumption since the Dynamo is still producing the power).
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The amount of steam used is directly related to the amount of power generated, so less power less steam. If for some reason they loose the fire and can't get it re-lit the first thing they do is shut off the generator to conserve steam until they can get the train to a station.
As for the color of the LED lights you can get the cool white or the warm white now. Warm white LED bulbs are available now that have the same color temperature as an incandescent bulb and are indistinguishable from incandescent bulbs so far as the light produced, but they typically use 1/8th to 1/10th as much power as an incandescent.
I sure hope the use the warm white...... Blue/white LEDs headlights on a steam locomotive "just ain't natural"...
 
EricsBiscuit

EricsBiscuit

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You can tell if the boiler pressure is right by the lights in the coaches. If they are dim then they need more steam. The generator is on the back of the tender and is powered by steam. Most of the steam generated goes to the dynamo. This is especially evident on the steamboat where something like 80% of steam is directed toward the generator.
 
DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
EricsBiscuit said:
You can tell if the boiler pressure is right by the lights in the coaches. If they are dim then they need more steam. The generator is on the back of the tender and is powered by steam. Most of the steam generated goes to the dynamo. This is especially evident on the steamboat where something like 80% of steam is directed toward the generator.
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Thanks, I wasn't sure where the generators were on the WDW trains. It is obvious from photos that they are not on the boiler just in front of the cab like they are on some of the big freight locomotives.
 
DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
EricsBiscuit said:
Oh and it's definitely AC bc the current has to run the length of the train. Also, I highly recommend the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour.
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For this short distance here since no transformers are involved it would not have to be AC. AC only becomes necessary when you need higher voltages for long distance transmission (miles, not a hundred feet). If you look at the video I found and posted above you can see that dynamo is rated at 32 volts DC.
And YES, the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour is great. I have done it three times and will do it again some day.
 
EricsBiscuit

EricsBiscuit

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DisAl said:
For this short distance here since no transformers are involved it would not have to be AC. AC only becomes necessary when you need higher voltages for long distance transmission (miles, not a hundred feet). If you look at the video I found and posted above you can see that dynamo is rated at 32 volts DC.
And YES, the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour is great. I have done it three times and will do it again some day.
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Awesome! I never knew that. I just assumed. My degree is in business not electrical engineering lol!
 
Captain Barbossa

Captain Barbossa

Well-Known Member
EricsBiscuit said:
Oh and it's definitely AC bc the current has to run the length of the train. Also, I highly recommend the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour.
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DisAl said:
For this short distance here since no transformers are involved it would not have to be AC. AC only becomes necessary when you need higher voltages for long distance transmission (miles, not a hundred feet). If you look at the video I found and posted above you can see that dynamo is rated at 32 volts DC.
And YES, the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour is great. I have done it three times and will do it again some day.
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I have been wanting to do the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour for years. I've heard nothing but great things about it. Really hope that I can do it on our next trip.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
DisAl said:
For this short distance here since no transformers are involved it would not have to be AC. AC only becomes necessary when you need higher voltages for long distance transmission (miles, not a hundred feet). If you look at the video I found and posted above you can see that dynamo is rated at 32 volts DC.
And YES, the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour is great. I have done it three times and will do it again some day.
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Yep, DC can go quite far. If you have an old landline phone, talk battery is -48V DC and it comes to you over the phone line - all the way from the central office. If you have a really old landline phone, one that has a light up dial and no wall transformer, talk battery powers that as well. Ringing voltage is AC. Roughly 100V (it varies from area to area) but it is 50 Hz, and that *hurts* when you get nailed by it for some reason. You can run AC and DC over the same copper pair (as well as voice commuications).

-dave
 

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