Stewart FT light side (Why)

[KentBy]

I just bought an A/B used pair of GN FT units. Very nice running and look good. I did realize when I bought them that the A unit had "light side" IE a window on the side with the road number displayed with LEDs.
This supprised me as I thought of Stewart (these are the first that I have owned) as being higher end locos.

Does anyone else have these "light side" loco? What do you thing about the sides being lite when you running your train?

If I can't stand this, is there a easy fix to cover the LED window?

Kent

 

[radar]

The F/T units when new on some roads had the "side lites" so the Stewart units are prototypical. Look closely at the B unit

 

[Dick Elmore]

Kent, the real FT's came that way from the factory. Microscale makes a decal sheet with the side numbers on it on a black background so that only the numbers show through. If they really bug you, I'd suggest that you sell the FT's and purchased some F3's or F7's in thier place. They didn't come with the side lights.

Dick
Texas Chief

 

[Don7]

The Stewart FT's come in two styles, one with the side number lighting and one without. I have both in the GN livery.

 

[wjstix]

Yup they're prototypical for GN FT's, if you add the numberboards as noted above, they should look great and be a real eye-catcher.

 

[Dick Elmore]

I don't know about the other roads but Santa Fe had the side numbers on the "A" units only. :thumb:

Dick
Texas Chief

 

[Don7]

I don't know about the other roads but Santa Fe had the side numbers on the "A" units only. :thumb:

Dick
Texas Chief

A check of the Bowser/Stewart site indicates that none of the B units have the side number boards.

Other than Stewart has any other manufacturer (excluding brass) modeled the side numbers?

 

[KentBy]

For anyone that hasn't seen the light side unit.

I took this picture and hope that I upload it correctly.

Kent

 

[sumpter250]

Yup they're prototypical for GN FT's

Live, and learn. I was under the impression that Santa Fe was the only road to have the side number boards. Most of the FTs I've seen do not have them, A, or B units.

 

[wjstix]

Bowser shows FT A units with the large side numberboards for ATSF, Cotton Belt, Great Northern and D&RGW. None show the numberboards on any of the B units which I believe is prototypically correct.

Bowser

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Since all of my reference material is packed away for the remodel we are almost finished with on the house, I can't reference it for sure; but the Ft's were originally sold as a-b sets with the b units draw bared to the a. On the Santa Fe later modifications allowed them to be separated so that they could have an a or b unit fail and not put 2 units into the shop. I suspect that as originally built, there was no need for a number board on the b unit since it was permanently connected to the a unit. When a railroad modified the units to be able to run separately, they probably eliminated the side number boards.

 

[Dick Elmore]

Since all of my reference material is packed away for the remodel we are almost finished with on the house, I can't reference it for sure; but the Ft's were originally sold as a-b sets with the b units draw bared to the a. On the Santa Fe later modifications allowed them to be separated so that they could have an a or b unit fail and not put 2 units into the shop. I suspect that as originally built, there was no need for a number board on the b unit since it was permanently connected to the a unit. When a railroad modified the units to be able to run separately, they probably eliminated the side number boards.

Santa Fe swapped the drawbar on thier very first A-B set for couplers almost immediately. All A-B sets after that had couplers between them! As far as I can tell, they never got rid of the side numbers.

Dick
Texas Chief

 

[MadHatter]

I've seen a dramatic painting of a Warbonnet ATSF E8(?) and it had the number 058 on the side.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

I've seen a dramatic painting of a Warbonnet ATSF E8(?) and it had the number 058 on the side.

The Santa Fe had large numbers on the sides of the E-8's and Alco Pa's in passenger service, but I think they were just signs, not lighted number boards as on the Ft's.