I just purchased the recently released Athearn Genesis F3 Union Pacific.
When I first tested it on the track I was startled to see the upper headlight (presumably LED) was red. Yes a RED HEADLIGHT. Has the wrong color LED been installed? Can this be easily fixed? Would it be difficult to replace the LED?
As I live in Australia and the loco was purchased online from a US dealer, if its easily fixed I'd prefer not to send it back (or to Athearn) if I can avoid it, due to the shipping cost. Any help appreciated.
The upper headlight on the UP was a red Mars warning light that would flash when the train went into emergency braking. Just like the FEF 4-8-4 steam locomotives carried a red Mars light above their main white headlight. In a DCC model, this light only flashes if you activate it. If yours is DC model, its possible its wired to light up all the time. Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Are you using DCC?
I have some Athearn engines with the correct white/red headlight or in some cases a separate red Mars light (the SDP40-F) and it will automatically switch to red if I press the emergency stop button on my throttle. Otherwise, I can control it, IIRC, with the F5 function button.
ATSF_mars by Edmund, on Flickr
Perhaps in DC the red light comes on if you run in reverse? Is there any mention of it in the instruction book?
Good Luck, Ed
I have several Athearn Genesis F3A locomotives, but none came with red Mars lights. However, none of my F3As are from recent runs such as the 2018 run.
A review of the Athearn website indicates that some recent F3A locos come with red Mars lights as well as other features and improvements such as LED lighting (bye bye crappy 1.5 volt incandescents).
The latest run of DCC-equipped Genesis F3A locomotives come with Soundtraxx Tsunami2 sound decoders, so the OP will need to consult that specific manual (found online) to determine how to configure and operate the red Mars light.
Rich
Alton Junction
Sorry guys, I should have mentioned the loco is plain DC. The two headlights (upper and lower in separate housings) both iluminate only when running forward. The lower headlight is yellowish white as expected while the upper headlight is red (constant red, not flashing). When reversing, the headlights switch off and the rear backup light illuminates. A contsant red headlight just doesn't seem right to me. Other than replacing the LED, perhaps I could just disconnect the upper headlight so only the lower one illuminates, as I've seen in some photos of the real thing.
To each, his own, Peter. Even though the red Mars light is prototypical, rather than disabling it altogether, why not replace it with a white Mars light?
Sounds like the bulbs got swapped. In the upper headlight, the top bulb should be white and shine constant going forward, and the lower bulb should be red and shine only in reverse.
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Here's a photo of an F3 with only the lower headlight illuminated.
I believe it was correctly installed . The upper headlight housing should have a twin beam headlight with a clear light being the mars light and the red light being for an emergency brake application. The lower headlight housed a twin beam head light with two clear bulbs which were turned on while the train was moving.
Below is a Burlington E9 with this configuration.
Not all railroads had the same configuration of headlights. Some of them just had a single headlight on F-units and E-units. I did a search of the internet on "images Union Pavific F3" and found one image where you can see the headlights are configured as on the Burlington E9.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good info, Garry.
Heartland Division CB&Q I believe it was correctly installed . The upper headlight housing should have a twin beam headlight with a clear light being the mars light and the red light being for an emergency brake application. The lower headlight housed a twin beam head light with two clear bulbs which were turned on while the train was moving.
Right, what I meant was that within the upper headlight, the lower bulb should be red and the upper bulb should be white. Within the lower headlight, both bulbs are white. If the red light is on top within the upper headlight and turning one when moving forward, then that's why I was thinking it was installed and wired backwards.