F Unit Lights

[The Jet Clipper]

I have a handful of questions, primarily on the little details that made each roads' F units so different.

So, I'm getting the detail parts for a Highliners F3A kit. This one is going under my own roadname and scheme, so I don't have to have to worry about prototype details. I want to take certain aspects of some other F Units and put them on mine, but I don't know who makes the parts that I'm looking for.

Keep in mind that I'm looking for the detail parts.

My questions are:

• Who makes dual beam headlights? 
• Who makes the light clusters that railroads like Santa Fe and Southern Pacific used in their MARS lights?

My locomotive is supposed to represent a rebuilt unit in service some time in the 1960's. Because of this, I need to have grabs, backup lights, and so on. I don't need help with those because they are pretty easily found with a Google search, but the lights are what get me.

[gmpullman]

The Jet Clipper

Who makes dual beam headlights?

My Highliners kits came with the dual sealed beam insert included on the parts sprue. You should have one. See page two below:

http://www.athearn.com/ProdInfo/Files/Genesis_F_Series_Guide.pdf

 

If not Detail Associates makes one:

https://www.walthers.com/headlights-diesels-pyle-dual-seal-beam-conversion-for-14-1-2-quot-lights-pkg-2

For the Mars light you would have to do a little creative work but you could probably get away with using a Detail Associates 1002 Gyralight housing and mount it behind the nose headlight glass:

https://www.walthers.com/headlights-diesels-plastic-pyle-dual-oscillating-gyralight-pkg-2

It should look like this when you're done...

ATSF_mars by Edmund, on Flickr

I used 3mm fiber optic strands for mine when I did some Pyle dual sealed beams on some B&O F and E units.

Broadway Limited actually does a pretty good job of the dual beam nose Gyralight. Unfortunately, the Highliner shell doesn't lend itself to lighted number boards very easily.

CBQ-167-C by Edmund, on Flickr

Of course the red lamp would only be lit if the train went into emergency.

Hope that helps, Ed

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Genesis by Athearn also has twin beam lights in the F-units that look good. 

I did something similar with Life Like Proto 2000 E7's.... I made a small plastic plate with holes, and painted it silver. Small light bulbs  are behind it which replaced the factory-installed light. The lower light housing has the same thing, but has two clear bulbs.  Hard to tell because it is lighted in the photo.