I remember seeing these back in the 1960's, on E series. They seemed like a great safety advantage.
Was this headlight type called Mars? Was that the manufacturer's name or something else?
Which loco's had them?
Which RR's used them?
Why did they go away?
Were they gov't mandated?
Were they a distraction to the train crew?
They were usually called a Mars Light, after the company that made them.
Many locomotives, both late steam and diesel had them, as ordered or modified by the owner.
A rather broad question, you'd probably find it easier to research the other way around (Did ABR Railroad locomotive 123 have a Mars Light?)
They were a victim of mechanical complexity, The revolving was done mechanically and the extra maintenance on this wasn't worth the expense, especially when replaced with the likes of ditch lights.
Never mandated that I know of.
Distraction? Imagine going through a tunnel with that thing running.
There were two common types -- the Mars Light, which rotated in a figure-8 pattern, and the Gyralight, which oscillated in a back and forth pattern (usually horizontally). Mars Lights was a trade name of the Mars Signal Light Manufacturing Company, which is still in business as Tri Light, Inc., and sells primarily to the emergency vehicle (fire truck) market. Gyralight was a trade name of Pyle Company.
Generally Mars Lights and Gyralights were installed as auxilliary headlights to a standard fixed headlight, with a separate on-off switch and in some cases a separate switch to turn the motor drive on and off, too. Some railroads wired the Gyralight or Mars Light to only activate in case of an emergency brake application. In most cases railroads installed them to provide additional warning to motorists at road crossings.
Oscillating headlights were used primarily on road freight and passenger locomotives on many railroads -- I don't have a complete list and since we're talking a period of 40+ years of use, and more than 600 railroads including all the short lines that might have had 1 or more at some point in time, a complete list can be someone else's retirement research project.
Mars Lights and Gyralights were eliminated because they were a maintenance item, and under FRA regulations, if they were installed then they had to be maintained in operating condition. But there were not required by FRA regulation to be installed -- only to be maintained if installed. When ditch lights were mandated by the FRA, railroads using oscillating lights removed them as the ditch light served the same purpose for liability purposes, and the ditch light unlike the oscillating light had to be installed.
I never thought they were a distraction from the engine crew's point of view nor did I ever hear a complaint about them, but then I have always been a visitor from the operating, engineering, or other department in the locomotive cab, not a regular train service employee.
RWM
Thanks for the reply Tom.
Regarding your signature tag, I have another question for you:
Why won't cannibals eat clowns?
Thanks railway man,
An interesting corolary is the red revolving "beacon" on the belly and/or top of an aircraft fuselage. It is an FAA mandated item for night or IFR (instrument) flying.
A common maintenance write up would be, "beacon burn/no turn" i.e. the bulbs lasted longer that the rotation motor.
Neverheless you now had a broke airplane for want of a little 12 vdc electric motor.
Eventually the FAA apporved a red lense over a white strobe light, and they are the standard on all aircraft built since.
You have to see an old Northwest DC-9 to see an actual rotating beacon anymore on an airliner, and half the time it's either not rotating or one or both incandesant bulbs are burned out.
Come to think of it, most police cars have some kind of colored strobe on the roof these days too.
NWA DC9s aren't the only a/c with a rotating beacon in the air. I will grant you that they are the easiest to find. Practically anything built before 1990 had them.
IIRC, the DC9 had a 24v DC bus, not 12. It's been 20 years since I spooled one up, so I could be wrong.
Good catch...actually i was thinking about small general aviation aircraft when I said 12 vdc. All the large transport category jet aircraft run on 115 vac 400hz, though they do have t/r's to give them 28 vdc for some items that need it. I can't remember if the lights are one of them, but it sounds familiar.
Piston engine singles and twins are 12 vdc, turboprops and regional jets/business jets are 28 vdc. Some fancier avionics require 115 vac and there's an inverter for that.
All very puny by train standards!
Planes have to be as light as possible to work right, and locomotives have to be as heavy as possible to work right!
Nody, if you are interested in more discussion of these lights, go to page 4 (as of today) on the General Discussion Forum, and look for "Pyle Gyralight."
Yes, why won't cannibals eat clowns?
Johnny
Thanks for the reference Johnny...
"Cause they taste funny!"
(hey, this is a "G" rated site)
Generally they were used as the upper headlight on a passenger engine. There are plenty of exceptions, but a lot of times you can tell whether a railroad intended an F unit to be used for freight or passenger service by whether it had one headlight (freight) or two (passenger).
The Mars light was originally designed by a working railroader as I recall, but I don't remember the name. Eventually he got backing from Mr.Mars - the same guy making the candy bars.
wjstix Generally they were used as the upper headlight on a passenger engine. There are plenty of exceptions, but a lot of times you can tell whether a railroad intended an F unit to be used for freight or passenger service by whether it had one headlight (freight) or two (passenger). The Mars light was originally designed by a working railroader as I recall, but I don't remember the name. Eventually he got backing from Mr.Mars - the same guy making the candy bars.
Now that's just the intersting thing I was wondering about, the Mars candy connection, when I first saw guys discussing "Mars lights" in another thread. I wondered also that I only remembered seeing them on passenger covered wagons, E's & F's, I guess. I never remembered seeing them on a freight loco, though my experience pales compared to most of you.
That's the great thing about you guys...so much wonderful info out there...thanks!
What a great story Steve. Isn't it amazing how pictures like that are burned into our memories, and thank heaven they are happy memories. It was about the same time and age that I had a similar vision, but I am going to have to guess it was riding in the back of the family station wagon, going through Tahachipi Mountains. Perhaps they were running the Loop. But I remember the same thing, the Mars light bouncing off the hill sides, scary at first, and then exciting to a young boy.
This is totally and completely off topic but if anybody has any idea where a fella can get parts for such a light i'd love to talk to you. I have a mars light off an old DRGW GP40-2 i'm trying to get working again
nodyWhy did they go away?
2 words...ditch lights. No moving parts, easier to maintain.
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