Railhead Corporation

Every 3 hours, a person or vehicle is struck by a train in the U.S. Most of it is preventable.

Sept 21–27 is Operation Lifesaver's See Tracks? Think Train® Week — the industry's own reminder that visibility is the first line of defense, for crews and the public both. We're proud to stand behind it, and we build the gear that backs it up:

- M26-R — 6-LED red magnetic safety light, 2-mile visibility on a triple-flash pattern, dusk-to-dawn photocell activation, mounts via magnet or strap in seconds
- M100A-LED — 21-LED amber warning light, 300-hour runtime, IP67, diamond-cut lens visible from any angle, replaceable magnetic base
- RH-HB450R — 450-lumen rechargeable headband, motion-activated so gloves never come off to switch modes, 230° flood plus focused spot beam

It takes a train up to one mile to stop. Give your crew — and everyone near the right-of-way — that much time.

Link in comments.

Emergency-ready gear that's still sitting in a drawer when the emergency hits isn't emergency-ready. It's just inventory.

Four line items worth qualifying before storm season, not during it:

- RH-SSB-200 Switchman Stick — IPX7-rated, 7-ft drop-tested, replaces three separate tools (floodlight/flashlight/signal light) with one SKU
- KE-HL1000R Headlamp — USB-rechargeable with car charger included, 1000/450/20 lumen modes, no disposable batteries to requisition
- KE-FL40 Flashlight — runs on standard D-cells, stockable by the case, no proprietary battery locking you to one vendor
- M100R-LED Warning Beacon — IP67, 300-hour runtime, 3.3-ft drop resistance

Railhead's been building this gear on Chicago's south side since 1998 — 12 U.S. patents, 8,000+ locomotives already equipped. Reliable enough to standardize on before the next storm, not after.

Link in comments.

This Labor Day, we're thinking about the guy who's spent more hours hunting lantern batteries than fixing equipment.

We here at Railhead kept asking why that had to be normal. Alkaline C-cells for a lantern like the RH-TL2020 run close to $950 per lantern over two years — real money, and real time spent digging through a drawer instead of doing the job.

RH-TL2022-R-2A fixes it: drop a rechargeable battery cage into the charging base, done. Daisy-chain 2-4 bases and a whole crew's lanterns are ready by next shift. Already running an RH-TL2020? It already takes the upgrade — no new lantern required.

M25-B got the same treatment: magnets now pull 22 lbs, double the old generation, so a safety light that's supposed to stay mounted actually does.

This Labor Day, thank you to the crews climbing on equipment before sunrise, the mechanics in the roundhouse, the track gangs working through the heat. Today's for you.

A lantern that dies mid-shift isn't a battery problem. It's a liability issue.

Fall means more of the shift happens after dark — more switching, more inspections, more time working blue-flagged equipment in low light. If the light marking someone under a car or between couplers goes dark because a battery ran out, the safety system just failed at the worst possible moment.

🔸RH-BL2020M removes that variable: 720 hours of runtime — 30 days, 24/7 — on three C-cell batteries. Mount it, forget it, still visible up to a mile a month later.
🔸M737-LED-B-4D takes human error out too — photocell-activated, on at dusk, off at dawn, no one has to remember a switch.
🔸Same logic on hands: RH-GL15P3 (ANSI Cut A3) for dexterity work, RH-GL50 (ANSI Cut A4) when the job needs more protection without the bulk.

Fall's here. Make sure the signal — and the crew's hands — are never the weak point.

We are proud to announce that Metrolink has selected Railhead Corporation to supply and install our next generation LDVR4K™ High Definition Onboard Video System across 117 locomotives and cab cars.

This project is an important step in helping Metrolink meet the Federal Railroad Administration’s upcoming requirements for inward and outward facing image recording systems, while also bringing enhanced video capabilities to its fleet.

Railhead will handle the installation, testing, and commissioning of the systems across the fleet. With more than 8,000 locomotives, cab cars, and maintenance of way vehicles equipped with Railhead video systems over the years, we are excited to bring that experience to Metrolink.

As Southern California prepares for the 2028 Summer Olympics, we are proud to support Metrolink as it continues to modernize its fleet and strengthen safety and operational capabilities.
Thank you to Metrolink for choosing Railhead. We look forward to getting started.

Railhead Corporation to install its next-generation LDVR4K™ High-Definition Onboard Video System across Metrolink's fleet | Mass Transit (https://hubs.li/Q04t_Qb80)

Railhead Corporation to install its next-generation LDVR4K™ High-Definition Onboard Video System across Metrolink's fleet The contract comes on the heels of a new federal requirement that all lead passenger locomotives must be equipped with compliant inward- and outward-facing image recording systems...

⛈️ Storm rolls in. Your gear quits first.

Rain gets in the housing... wind kills your visibility... and by hour 12 of a storm shift, half the crew is fumbling with dead lights and soaked gloves.

Here's the part nobody tells you: most "weatherproof" gear isn't.

The RH-HL800R is IPX4 — 800 lumens, hands-free, rain doesn't touch it.
The KE-HDWL-60 is IP65 — 5,100 lumens mounted to the rig, floods the whole work zone.
The RM18-LED R runs 720 hours on a magnetic base — set it once, forget it for the rest of the storm. 🔦 And the KE-FL1014A is UL-rated for the mess a storm leaves behind — downed lines, gas near the tracks, flooded infrastructure.

Storm's coming. Get gear that doesn't quit when it gets here.

Links in comments.

Your hands go numb by 9am. That's not "toughing it out"... that's a glove failing you.

Cold hands aren't a personality trait. They're a liability.

Most "insulated" gloves pack in cheap filler under a shell that turns to cardboard the second the temp drops. You lose grip. You lose feel. You start working slower and sloppier... and that's exactly when people get hurt.

We built the RH-GW100 to kill that problem specifically. 100 grams of real insulation. A goatskin palm that stays soft and grippy even when it's freezing — not stiff like the bargain stuff. Water-repellent shell so the cold and the wet don't team up on you.

You keep the warmth. You keep the dexterity. You keep working like it's a normal day... because it is.

S-XXL. What's the coldest job you've ever worked in gear that wasn't built for it?

You've got two hands. Your flashlight is using one of them.🔦

Every time. Under the railcar... balanced on a toolbox... wedged between your teeth so you can see what you're doing.

Here's the hack nobody told you about: stop holding the light. Stick it.

The TL2020 has a 30 lb magnetic base — slap it on the frame and 650 lumens stay put. The M100A-LED snaps onto any steel surface in one motion — 21 LEDs, 300 hours, set it and walk away. The RH-PWL450R clips on with a 120° rotating magnetic clip — 450 lumens, USB-C rechargeable, lives in your shirt pocket until you need it.

Stop holding your light. Start sticking it.

Links in comments.⬇️

Throwback Thursday: Celebrating 62 Years of Railhead:

For 62 years, Railhead has been proud to support the hardworking men and women who keep North America’s railroads moving safely.

To celebrate that history, we’re opening the Railhead archives for a new Throwback Thursday series. We’ll be revisiting advertisements, products, and stories from our past—and giving them a fresh look alongside the products railroaders rely on today.

The equipment may have evolved, but our commitment has remained the same: provide dependable, railroad-ready products designed for the people working in yards, shops, terminals, and along the right-of-way.
For our first look back, we’re celebrating a true railroad classic: the Railhead lantern.

Here’s to 62 years of railroad history—and to continuing the tradition for many years to come.

Small gaps start to show mid-year🗓️

🔍Mid-Year Field Check: Where is your crew at today?

1. Visibility at night
Is lighting still consistent across all work zones—or are crews adapting on the fly?

2. Field gear performance
Are headlamps, cameras, and wearable equipment still holding up under heat, dust, and long shifts?

3. Crew fatigue factors
Are tools reducing strain—or adding to it?

Those gaps don’t stay small for long...

Close the Visibility Gap
KE-HLFC625R https://hubs.li/Q04hm-hC0
RH-SSC-200 https://railheadcorp.com/products/switchmans-stick-railhead-logo-clear-4-aaa-batteries-included-8-16-pull-magnet