Halo Plus2 Signalling Lamps

[ralphchadkirk]

Has anyone got one of these, and what are they like?
Is there anywhere cheap to buy them?

My Bardic is becoming a bit expensive to run, and is rather "clunky" so I'm thinking of selling the Bardic and buying one of these.

 

[CarterUSM]

I've got one, though my employer provided me with it. The white lamp setting is a halogen bulb and very bright, about 10,000 candles but the red and green aspects are L.E.D, and VERY visible. They are miles less heavier than a Bardic also. I would think e-bay could be a good shout for one.

 

[Mojo]

The one I'm familiar with can display white using a halogen bulb, plus white, red and green in LEDs. Much more lightweight than a bardic and more comfortable to hold!

The ones I know have built in batteries and are charged in docking stations, so make sure you get one that uses normal batteries, otherwise you'll have to buy a charger.

http://www.furneauxriddall.com/contact.html is the company that deals with them.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Cheers Mojo/Carter.

I would be looking for a white/red/yellow/green one.
I especially like the feature that returns it to red, should you let go of one of the buttons. And the recharging should save the cost of batteries, which seem to go as soon as you turn the Bardic on!

 

[GB]

The Halo lamps are alot easier to hold and operate becuase of its size and weight but they seem to have poor build quality and I find the battery doesnt last half as long as the old bardic lamps.

Does your employer not provide them then?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

The Halo lamps are alot easier to hold and operate becuase of its size and weight but they seem to have poor build quality and I find the battery doesnt last half as long as the old bardic lamps.

Does your employer not provide them then?

Heritage

Quite a few people have them on my railway, and they seem pretty good, and cheaper in the long run that a Bardic.

 

[Mojo]

I especially like the feature that returns it to red, should you let go of one of the buttons.

The ones I know return to white once you let go of the button!

 

[Crossforth]

May I ask what is used for?

 

[Mojo]

Station staff use them for train dispatch in place of dispatch baton and green flag. At my station, in normal circumstances guards use them as part of the dispatch procedure (white light to acknowledge first station work complete signal, green light to acknowledge second) and I'm sure for other things in place of green/red flags during the hours of darkness. Also possibly in the event the tail lights have malfunctioned?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

The ones I know return to white once you let go of the button!

I believe they return to whatever position the rocker switch was in.

 

[barrykas]

We've got two varieties at work. In both cases, switching the rocker switch to the "top" position gives a white light from the conventional bulb.

The "communal" lamp we keep in the office has separate red and green buttons on top, only active when the rocker switch is in the "bottom" position. The red button "latches", for use as an emergency tail lamp, whereas the green aspect only stays illuminated whilst holding the button down.

Our personal issue lamps, meanwhile, default to red with the switch in the "bottom" position, with the green button overriding that for as long as it's depressed...Not a lot of use for Train Dispatch if you inadvertently let go of the button and end up showing the Driver/Guard a red as the train's pulling away!

As others have mentioned, battery life isn't as good as a Bardic (2.5 hours according to the instructions that came with ours), but that's only really an issue if you have to use it as an emergency tail lamp and the "proper" emergency lamp isn't available.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[Mojo]

Crossforth, have a look at 4:25 in this video for the lamp being used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj--Y_svMWM

 

[vitesse]

Station staff use them for train dispatch in place of dispatch baton and green flag. At my station, in normal circumstances guards use them as part of the dispatch procedure (white light to acknowledge first station work complete signal, green light to acknowledge second) and I'm sure for other things in place of green/red flags during the hours of darkness. Also possibly in the event the tail lights have malfunctioned?

Also used for shunting in depots/yards at night where the movements are normally controlled by shunters handsignals.

 

[TDK]

We've got two varieties at work. In both cases, switching the rocker switch to the "top" position gives a white light from the conventional bulb.

The "communal" lamp we keep in the office has separate red and green buttons on top, only active when the rocker switch is in the "bottom" position. The red button "latches", for use as an emergency tail lamp, whereas the green aspect only stays illuminated whilst holding the button down.

Our personal issue lamps, meanwhile, default to red with the switch in the "bottom" position, with the green button overriding that for as long as it's depressed...Not a lot of use for Train Dispatch if you inadvertently let go of the button and end up showing the Driver/Guard a red as the train's pulling away!

As others have mentioned, battery life isn't as good as a Bardic (2.5 hours according to the instructions that came with ours), but that's only really an issue if you have to use it as an emergency tail lamp and the "proper" emergency lamp isn't available.

Cheers,

Barry

I think the spec on battery life is wrong, I put one on the back of a DVT over night (7 hours) as a tail lamp and it is still OK, I think the 2 hours maybe for the white light. My halo has tri-colour. Red, Yellow and Green.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

I'm on my 3rd or 4th in 2 years, they're that bad, drop it and it's game over. Wish they still issued bardics sometimes! I bet ******heads wouldn't be too eager to "knock you out" with one of those clamped firmly in your hand
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

At my station, in normal circumstances guards use them as part of the dispatch procedure (white light to acknowledge first station work complete signal, green light to acknowledge second)

the green light second seems to be a XC thing i've noticed (or maybe just a BHM thing)? I'm not sure what the rule book stipulates on this but most other guards other than the XC ones give a white back. Giving a green gives me as a dispatcher the instruction to hit the RA plunger? I was told most if not all trains at New Street are given the RA, so maybe thats why they give it?

 

[Mojo]

the green light second seems to be a XC thing i've noticed (or maybe just a BHM thing)? I'm not sure what the rule book stipulates on this but most other guards other than the XC ones give a white back. Giving a green gives me as a dispatcher the instruction to hit the RA plunger? I was told most if not all trains at New Street are given the RA, so maybe thats why they give it?

Think it's just Birmingham New Street where the RA indicator is used for all trains. Infact thinking about it now I don't think I've ever seen a LM member of staff give a green light; they all seem to wave a green flag (or the green hankies they all seem to carry). At Birmingham Intl and Coventry only loco hauled trains and Pendolinos make use of RA indicators and only Pendolino Train Managers wave their green flag.

There's a few guards on XCs 170s that make me laugh, one leans out of the window holding the green flag out until the train has completely left the platform and another does the same but shows a green light.

Perhaps mumrar might have more info about what XC has told traincrew to do? At Bristol Temple Meads I've seen a white light in response to each tip rather than a white and a green.

 

[barrykas]

the green light second seems to be a XC thing i've noticed (or maybe just a BHM thing)? I'm not sure what the rule book stipulates on this but most other guards other than the XC ones give a white back. Giving a green gives me as a dispatcher the instruction to hit the RA plunger? I was told most if not all trains at New Street are given the RA, so maybe thats why they give it?

It depends on whether the train is being dispatched using an RA indicator or not.

If it is, then the Guard gives the Dispatcher the ready-to-start handsignal, prior to the Dispatcher operating the RA indicator.

If it isn't, the Guard gives the Driver the ready-to-start signal on the bell/buzzer.

The rule book defines the ready-to-start handsignal as:

• A green flag waved above the head during the day, or
• A green light held steadily above the head at night or during poor visibility.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[Mojo]

If it is, then the Guard gives the Dispatcher the ready-to-start handsignal, prior to the Dispatcher operating the RA indicator

One interesting thing though is that on Voyagers, 170s and Pendolinos, the green flag/light is normally given when the guard is stood on the platform and thus the local door is still open. The RA should not be given until that door is closed and the orange light on the side of the train has gone out, so I'm not sure why the green flag is supposed to be waved at this point, is it perhaps a throwback from the days of trains with manually closing doors or windows?

 

[barrykas]

One interesting thing though is that on Voyagers, 170s and Pendolinos, the green flag/light is normally given when the guard is stood on the platform and thus the local door is still open. The RA should not be given until that door is closed and the orange light on the side of the train has gone out, so I'm not sure why the green flag is supposed to be waved at this point, is it perhaps a throwback from the days of trains with manually closing doors or windows?

What the Rule Book says, and what happens in practice, aren't always the same thing.

In these days of air conditioning and sealed windows, it's more practical for the Guard to give the Dispatcher the relevant signal whilst stood on the platform in most cases. As long as the Dispatcher doesn't give the RA whilst the Guard's still on the platform, there's no problem.

Having said that, the vast majority of trains where this applies will have Door/Traction Interlock, so the Driver wouldn't be able to take power until the Guard had rejoined the train and closed their door anyway.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[HSTfan!!!]

It depends on whether the train is being dispatched using an RA indicator or not.

If it is, then the Guard gives the Dispatcher the ready-to-start handsignal, prior to the Dispatcher operating the RA indicator.

If it isn't, the Guard gives the Driver the ready-to-start signal on the bell/buzzer.

The rule book defines the ready-to-start handsignal as:

• A green flag waved above the head during the day, or
• A green light held steadily above the head at night or during poor visibility.

Cheers,

Barry

still doesn't quite clear up why a XC guard will return a green light following the 2nd tip at anywhere other than new street when they're going to give the driver two on the buzzer.