@Matt G from VA posted:My only guess is that it holds the wires away from the headlight bracket but it seems like a bootleg detail on an otherwise beautiful motor. Maybe Lionel needed a quick fix?
Yes. It is not a "bootleg" method at all - have you seen all the zip-ties under the hoods of moderns locos to keep things apart/together? There were no "zip-ties" in 1957 or whenever. The paper tape was quite effective.