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What are the different lights on a Southern Pacific diesel?

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  • Member since
    April 2002
  • From: Frankfort, Indiana
  • 424 posts
What are the different lights on a Southern Pacific diesel?
Posted by Morpar on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 2:11 PM

So this is kind of a strange question, and maybe belongs in the DCC section. Right now I am in the process of replacing the blown bulbs in my Athearn U50. I stuck a decoder in it using the factory light board and took out all of the incandescent bulbs when I ran it down the yard after programming. Lesson learned after another loco did the same thing! My U50 is the SP version and has basically 4 sets of lights on the cab. At the very top is the unlit (for now) emergency stop light. Right under it between the numberboards is a dual headlight going vertically. Then under the cab windows is another dual headlight assembly mounted horizontally and the classification lights on the outside corners. 

So how should these 2 different headlights be wired and/or programmed? Was one light a gyrating light and the other on all of the time? Were they used all together for 4 lights? Or was there another scheme I am completely missing? Now would be the time to do this while I have it all apart.

Good Luck, Morpar

  • Member since
    May 2015
  • 5,134 posts
Posted by ericsp on Friday, November 10, 2023 6:38 PM

I seem to recall the gyralights were the ones above the cab windows. That makes sense since when SP got rid of them they left the nose headlights in place.

When the train was moving all 4 headlights were supposed to be on. When stopped and for meets I think they just had the fixed headlights on and they were dimmed.

"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)

  • Member since
    April 2002
  • From: Frankfort, Indiana
  • 424 posts
Posted by Morpar on Saturday, November 11, 2023 6:14 AM

Thanks for the reply, it seems I wired the lights up correctly! 

Good Luck, Morpar

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