SP 4449's original Mars single headlight

[SPer]

What ever happened to the SP 4449's original Mars headlight when she originally has one as-delivered at Lima.They changed it to a twin-beamed type in the early 1950s.if so,why. also if there's any chance to reinstall the original Mars single headlight back on.

[CAZEPHYR]

The original Mars light with reflector was replaced about the same time the skirts were removed and the Daylight colors changed to black.   The pictures in the Daylight books show the orginal light installed in most of all of the engines when they were in Daylight colors.   I did find a picture of 4454 with the replacement light installed in 1954. 

This is a guess on my part, but I believe the reason they replaced the orginal unit with the twin mars light unit was to use the same unit as the diesels were using.   It probably was cheaper to only stock motors, belts and parts for one type light.  The F unit and PA diesels used a single light unit that looked like the GS4 type.   The newer GP and SD units purchased in the early 50's used the dual version and this unit probably became the standard on the SP from that time on to the end of steam. 

Cheers 

[espeefoamer]

The 4449 is a GS4 and never had a single headlight. Lima's GS2 and 3 had single headlights GS4 and 5 had dual headlights GS6 had single headlights.

[WSOR 3801]

They are talking about the guts inside the upper Mars light.  As built, it had a single bulb light up there, and it was changed out to a dual light job, similar to the units put on the diesels at the time.

[traintownofcowee]

4449 came with the double light originally I thought.

Certain GS Class locomotives had the double and some had the single.

Im not sure why they did this.

But I think 4449 had its headlight original.

 

[CAZEPHYR]

4449 came with the double light originally I thought.

Certain GS Class locomotives had the double and some had the single.

Im not sure why they did this.

But I think 4449 had its headlight original.

 

 The 4449 had a single Mars light in the upper casting just like all twenty eight of the GS4's and the two GS5's.  The early EMD E unit diesels also had this same type of mars light with a large reflector surrounding the lens of the light.  When the mars light moved, it created reflections on the reflector in addition to the light beam that moved in a figure eigth pattern.   The reflector gave off light beams at a different angle to the main beam. 

My impression after looking at ten SP books is most of the GS4's received the dual Gyra light replacement as the old mars light probably was hard to maintain in the last days of steam.  I found pictures of the 4441 and 4447 in Commuter service in 1956 in the Bay area with the original single mars light still installed. This was the end of their service life and these two probably did not receive the dual light before they were retired.  There may have been a few more but in general, most of the GS4's got the dual light sometime after 1953 as parts ran out to maintain the original unit.   The newer diesels had the dual light from the time of the SD9's in about 1953 and the same parts would have been for both applications.   The dual Gyra light became the standard for the SP for almost thirty years before the ditch lights were mandated.

The lower light in the GS4 was always a single bulb type headlight with reflector and was never changed.

 Cheers