Odd Prewar Car Lighting Set

[Terry]

I put the dark green 9 loco into running order and decided to do the cars. They have added lights that appear to be from a kit:

 

 

I took the one out of the first car because I always put the trains back to stock, but when I saw the construction I realized this may be a kit by a company other than Lionel. The light head has a slot and a tab that were used to tie it to the crossbar in the cars.

 

Here's the contact end- a cotter pin on an end of the wire with the insulation bound on the end:

 

The set is two lights on a long wire. One set has been cut in half to make two lights - one for the combine and one for the observation.

This set of trains was made in 1929. I got it from the original owner's son along with the son's 1952-54 era O gauge trains I doubt the trains were ever set up and run after the mid-1950s.

Have you ever seen a set like this?

[starfire700]

I can't see the last photo, out of focus, but the other photos show fixtures that look like American Flyer such as would be in early Illini or Columbia cars, made mid 1920's.

[starfire700]

Here is the fixture in a late 1930's 3211 AF caboose. Not the same, but similar to lighting sets for early Illini / Columbia cars. I think AF sold these light sets as accessories for the early unlighted cars. My Illini set is too early, does not have factory lighting or the accessory lights, like in your Lionel 428 series cars.

[early0electric]

Looks home made to me. Those type of sockets with platforms are usually (from what I've seen) used to light cars and buildings from the bottom. I've never seen them used hanging from the top of anything.

[Terry]

I think they are too consistant to be home made. The cotter pin to pinch the existing wire is also not needed - in fact when I rewired the cars I cut the cotter pin off and soldiered everything together.

They are inside the cars and I put the cars on the layout so when something turns up  they will be there.

An aside. . .  We were talking about spray versus dipping paint. The roofs on these cars are dipped. They are from 1929.

[early0electric]

I didn't mean the sockets were home made, I meant using them for a lighting set was home made.

[Terry]

I think they are too well assembled to be homemade. There is only one wire so they have to be designed to go inside something that is metal. They are too exact to be handmade.

Maybe the pictures don't convey the heft?

I tried looking for something similar on Liveauctions.com and Google, but "train lighting set" brings up too many results.

I also looked at NOMA lights to see if I could find light sets with similar bases, but that result was overwhelming too.

I got the cars all cleaned up and the look great with extra lights.  Whatever they are they do a gret job of lighting up the inside of the cars.

Speaking of car lighting - The 381E state set was $110 in 1929, the 9 set was $52.50. Both only have one roller pickup per car for the lights. That's just cheap.

[early0electric]

"I got the cars all cleaned up and the look great with extra lights.  Whatever they are they do a great job of lighting up the inside of the cars."

Yep, that's the bottom line. BTW, I have a set of 610's and a 612 with a homemade light kit made from a Christmas strand.

[starfire700]

Here is the exact light fixture, in one of my Illini cars. These were sold as accessory lights by AF for unlighted early cars, early to mid 1920's. The wires string between the cars and attach to a power terminal on a 3020 Boxcab loco.

[early0electric]

Very nice! Always something new to learn.

[Terry]

Cool. I can't find a boxed set because searches bring up too many results.

[starfire700]

I have never seen these lights in their original package, have only seen them in cars, Illini and Columbia. I still have to find them in a catalog (mid 1920's) but am assuming that AF sold them separate, because more cars show up without the lights than with them. Not a big production item, because I believe the litho Illini and Columbia cars are the only cars that they are designed to fit.