I think Shipmate60 was right, it is easier to get at the lightboards when they are swung in, than trying to reach out to them. An yes in my early life I filled lite and trimmed lights, usually under cover so that the matches did not blow out. But trying to stretch out to the lamps on a moving hull, not easy and also a lot of the early cabs where narrow, so you had to swing the boards out so that they could be seen with a decent space between.