RE: (erielack) OEM Horns

["Paul R. Tupaczewski" <paultup_@_optonline.net>]

> Also, the museum for which I volunteer just received a GP-7 
> which has a 
> surface-mount Mars light housing on  its short nose.  I've 
> never seen a 
> Mars light on an Erie, Lackawanna, or E-L road switcher.  
> Were any ordered 
> with Mars lights?  If not, was there a reason why not?  The 
> Mars light is, 
> in my opinion, a more effective warning light to traffic than 
> ditch lights.

The DL&W E8's came with a red "emergency" light as one of the lights in
the lower headlight housing - does anyone know for sure if the other one
was a Mars light? Those are the only Erie or DL&W units that had what (I
believe) are Mars lights.

Mars lights worked well for visibility, but were expensive to maintain
as they were a physical system. (Note that SP started removing their
Mars lights and Gyralights later in life, and UP continued the
tradition). Also, ditch lights weren't popular on US railroads until the
1990s (though they were in Canada long before this).

Strobing ditch lights, IMHO, work BETTER than a Mars light because 1)
there are two of 'em, 2) today's lights are brighter, and 3) both lights
are shining directly ahead, whereas in a Mars light, the figure-8
pattern only flashes the light dead-ahead for a fraction of a second at
any part of its sweep.

	- Paul

------------------------------