Locomotive Lights

[Cursator]

I as a european am wondering about all the extra light of US locomotives, you often see on long exposure photos.

My target is to understand the placement of those lights to maybe reproduce these lights on a H0 locomotive some day...

 

I am specifically interested in the placement of these lights on the SD40-2 and GF6C:

- Are both trucks lighted? I have only seen pictures with the front truck, on the GF6C for example the light seems to be between the outer axles of the trucks, on the SD40-2 on the inner axles.

- Does the main walkways normaly have a light on the steps?

[zugmann]

Cursator

- Are both trucks lighted? I have only seen pictures with the front truck, on the GF6C for example the light seems to be between the outer axles of the trucks, on the SD40-2 on the inner axles.

Those are ground lights.  It's so the engineer can look out the window at the ground to see if he/she is moving (helpful when starting heavy pulls). Sometimes they are on both front trucks, sometimes on just one (should be on the engineer side - but sometimes when engines get converted from long hood forward to short hood forward, the ground lights don't get moved.)

Cursator

- Does the main walkways normaly have a light on the steps?

Yes. 

[Cursator]

Ahhh, that would explain the different positioning between SD40-2 and GF6C.

Thank you very much!