I'm not sure what it is referring to. Those light panels usually have the buttons operating the lights for the one coach only (there is one in every MK1) and the middle switch normally being a hole for a T key which turns on & off the lights for the whole train as long as the jumpers were connected. Those are on the left hand panel (both switches down).
Is that really true or are you guessing? I only ask as you have to manually go to the back cab to set the lights on the back with the same switches you set the headlights with. I’ve tried the brake light button and haven’t noticed anything happen so I’ll be interested to know what it does or is supposed to do?
Guessing at this point. I haven't driven the 101 in ages unless it's being towed by a 31, where you do have to walk to the rear cab and set the lights to red manually. I saw Sam on stream pushing the brake light button last night as well
The panel is a Standard panel used across most of BR stock and often ended up somewhat mismatched to the vehicles they were actually on, in this case the panel likely came off of a brake coach (one with a guards compartment), the Brake Lights buttons refers to switching on the saloon lights in that coach only i.e turning the saloon lights on in the brake coach.
This would make the most sense, I guess BR was just trying to economise by transplanting stuff across vehicle classes instead of redesigning?
It's not quite as bad as that. The term 'brake' was used to refer to both the stopping system and also coaches equipped with them. So 'brake lights' = 'brake coach lights', in the same way that 'trailer lights' could mean 'trailer coach lights'. Or 'I prefer to sit in the brake as the seats are better', or similar.
If I'm not mistaken, in all of those 50s-60s era trains, to turn on tail lights you would have to do it in the rear cab, there was no remote from the front cab.
