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[rcdrye]

SP had "Ash can" gyralites on early GPs and SDs, later put on the smaller package you remember of dual sealed-beam headlight, dual gyralite and emergency light (the red one).  The process of removing them began with the GP9E and SD9E and SW1200E programs in the early 1970s, where the package on the long hood (except for the 11 dual-control GP9s) was removed in favor of a simple headlight, and a smaller package was used on the short hood (SW1200E's got only headlights on both ends).  From other sources it appears that changes in federal regulations eased the requirements for certain kinds of lighting, but required that if it was installed, it had to work.  Without detailed roster notes I would guess that the last units delivered with them came in 1974 or 1975.

[efftenxrfe]

When RCDRYE wrote that "if it was installed it had to work," he wrote the epitaph for the Gyralites and Mars lights.

Also, when operating department honchos said there'd be no more sections of train schedules, classification lights ceased to exist...early '80's.

To say that the program to invigorate old locomotives caused the removal of the lights...I doubt it.

During the refurbishing program, if a first-line locomotive's light went bad order, it was likely, the whole thing would be removed.

Compliance....with the CFR's.

I liked the Mars/Gryralites only, and only when fog was moderately dense, or more obscuring. Cause? Headlights were at eye level and in fog, headlights blew back reflected light.

The Mars/Gryralites were above eye level and by stopping the movement, I could see a least a football-field' lenhth thru the fog.

Of course,at 70 mph, a football-field is traversed inless than 3 and ahalf seconds

 

[16-567D3A]

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[timz]

Offhand guess: new SP road units had SP-style lights into the 1980s. Didn't all the SD40T-2s have them?

On the front, that is. Not many units had them on the long hood.

[rcdrye]

Now that you mention it the front of new units did continue to get them.  There was also a variant package which had a single gyralite/emergency light unit, found on some of the GP9Es.  A photo of SP 8275, built 6/1980, shows the complete package including the large size emergency light.