Hi, lads! Just got my 2.Bil. A gem indeed, except… that it has no lights at all. Why? Bachmann´s quite similar and similarly priced class 416 (another real beauty) has them. How much would it have added to list price, two… five quid? Who would have abstained due to that relative pittance? Luckily, my friend "Sorcerer Hands" installed them for me, using the original coupling (which, as with Bachmann Class 416, allows for a perfectly realistic clearence between cars), with one decoder controlling both cabin and coach lights  (as with Bachamann 416, whilst Bachmann Derby required an additional, six-pin decoder, in the dummy… why?).

Lights in EMUs are a mixed blessing.  Bachmann messed up with their 4-CEP in that the two outer coaches are dim and the inner coaches bright.  But at least you could operate the headcode panels independently so you can have the red blinds illuminated but the interior lights off. With the 2-EPB they messed up again: fixed the brightness problem but then didn't include the facility to have just the headcodes on.

As far as the 2-BIL is concerned, the prototype dates from the 1930s and used only incandescent bulbs even for the headcodes.  Tail lamp was always an oil one, never red blinds.  During daylight hours this tail lamp would have been the only illumination.

In my view operating EMUs on a model railway with interior lighting on during daylight looks strange, especially if all your loco-hauled stock is unlit.  You could operate your railway in twilight conditions when the lighting would look good, but again not if your loco-hauled stock is unlit.

So I've set my EMUs with lights off all the time, apart from where I can just use the headcodes.  Seems more realistic to me but that's just my opinion! :)

Ah, the superior knowledge of superior modellers! Still, interior lights that can be switched on and off is, I guess, a welcome nicety. That having been said, will never switch my 2-Bil lightrs on. I promiise!!!!
sergio