MARS light?

Pardon my ignorance, but what (and where) exactly is a MARS light on a locomotive? Thanks, Kevin

Mars lights are a type of gyrating headlight, made by the Mars Light Company. They were mounted on the front of steam locomotives, on the front of the smokebox, usually above the headlight. On cab unit diesels (ie F units) they would be installed in the upper headlight position, with the headlight installed below it in the nose door. On hood unit diesels they also tended to be installed above the regular headlights.

Stuart

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=81224

The white light above the cab on this F40PHM-2 is a Mars light. It gyrates around in a circle so all the area around the track is shown at one point on it's swivel. Right now it seems to be aiming up at me...

When was the last time Mars (or Gyralite) lights were in general usage in US? What is the advantage of 'ditch lights' being used now over the Mars Light figure 8 or oval?

Metra is I think the only railroad left that still uses Mars lights/purchases Mars light equipped locomotives. Southern Pacific was a huge fan of Mars lights and just plain lots of lights. Metra's spin in a circle, and I know that SP 4449's Mars light does a figure 8.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=91878
It appears that Mars lights = ditch lights from the information on that photo. But since ditch lights do not move, and therefore require less maintenence, all railroads bought them. They just blink on and off.

Canadian Pacific mounted mars lights on the end doors on their Budd Cars. As this Joseph Testagrose photo shows. CP RDC3 9023 with Mars light at Nanaimo, BC on the E&N. VIA Rail kept the Mars lights on the ex-CP cars until the mid 1980's when the RDC's got ditch lights.

Last year at night I followed a large speeder at night that had a Mars light. It was really neat to see how it swept the area ahead, particulary with the numerous unprotectred grade crossings.

Mars lights (with red lens) were often mounted on fire engines and trucks. Last time I recall seeing one on a fire apparatus was about 5 years ago. One of the area volunteer departments, though I recall them on paid city departments, too.

The mars lights have been explained better than i can explain them. Another good railroad to see them is a fallen falag.....the Southern Pacific.

Can the MARS light be placed on the nose? Is a White MARS light just as good as a Red MARS light?

Keep Searching Keep Finding

Missouri Pacific and Rio Grande were a few to use white nose-mounted MARS lights. And yes, I think they were just as good as red ones, actually more brighter.





better view:


Now Terry C, i'm going to be firm with you. Next time, please do your research before you ask. Some of your questions can be quickly answered if you do a little searching.

I think the flashing ditch lights would be just as effective as a MARS. Although, the KCS has both flashers and MARS light or at least until they shopped the locomotives.

What do the engineers on this forum think of them wiggeling around all over the place at night?

I always thought that they would be kind of annoying when you are setting behind them at night.

Red Mars lights would be for going in reverse. They would do nothing for illuminating the surrounding tracks. Metra's F40s have red Mars lights, but I have only seen one on once, when an F40's marker lights were not working. I can't find the photo I have of it.

I'm sure that a Mars light would not be annoying, because the main lights would be illuminating most of the path down the tracks, where the engineer would be looking most of the time.

Joe wrote:Metra is I think the only railroad left that still uses Mars lights/purchases Mars light equipped locomotives.

you can add caltrain (Cal DOT) and MARC commuter operations to this list as well

to my knowledge, you can still install them, but they have to be used in conjunction with ditch lights for any locomotive built/rebuilt after 1996

they still have locomotives using them in regular service

as far as railroads which used them in the past on non-steam or E/F units (IE: regular freight diesels)

SP, D&RGW, MP, FEC, ACL, SCL, KCS

that is a short list which comes to mind

KCS and FEC removed theirs in recent years along with obviously SP/D&RGW which had done so earlier

mandated ditch lights pretty much did them in, as after year 1999 or 2000 I think they did not fill the requirement for freight rr's

MOST RR's which had dual-light cones on their E and F units had mars light fixtures of some type

the red bulb was for use only when the train was in emergency or stopped on the mainline or at a station. you never saw them used much

I believe that the ARR still uses them in conjunction with Ditch Lights.