SP Mars light question

[carlso]

I have googled and checked many sites but can not find an answer. I am looking at GP30's - GP38's made by Atlas/KATO back in 1994ish. They have lights in the nose and above the cab with the number boards.

Were any of these pairs of lights Mars or were they both plain headlight ? ? ?

Appreciate all feed back,
Carl

[Missaberoad]

It really depended on the specific prototype, there's examples out there of just about any combination and they were rebuilt and modified over the years.

Headlights lower, red/white Mars lights upper.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/252365/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/149530/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/463589/

Headlights lower, white Mars lights upper.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/341811/

Headlights upper, red/white Mars light lower (also note different nose light position then Kato shell)

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/359993/

Headlights on top, white Mars light lower

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/149266/

Later in life the Mars lights were either removed, deactivated or replaced with standard headlights. They could also be on but stationary in effect acting as a somewhat normal headlight. I'm unaware of any examples delivered with normal headlights all around but as with anything I stand to be corrected.

One Note to add... The SP Light clusters were a different animal all together, White mars on top, headlight lower and red mars above the headlight.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/541751/

[tehachapifan]

ON SP's EMD units, the clear gyralights were typically in the cab between the numberboards. Gyralights differ from Mars lights, in that the former produce a circular pattern while the latter produce a figure 8 pattern. All this said, I don't believe SP ever rostered any GP38's but they did have GP38-2's (I think the Kato model was actually a GP38-2).

[carlso]

Ryan, Russ,

Thanks for the input, my guess was the upper had a mars and lower was headlight. I suppose with all of the SP headlight configurations it might be difficult to do a model incorrectly. I want to be as close as possible which will include turning the front hood lights horizontally and adding the red light just above that. Now to find the detail parts.

Thanks again,
Carl

[jagged ben]

Here's a video that shows what an SP gyralight typically looked like in the 80s.  As far as I know it was standard that the nose light was the headlight and the upper light was the gyralight.

[tehachapifan]

That's the stuff (I gotta sit down for a minute now)! 

Regarding SP light packages to go in the nose, with the apparent demise of Sunrise Enterprises, I believe the only option these days is to roll your own or go with a 3D printed offering(s) available on that popular 3D printing site (no affiliation).

[GhengisKong]

Miniatures by Eric has the full SP light package available, you would just have to drill out the castings to install the lights/fiber optic.

[carlso]

jb - great video, thanks for posting it.

Russ and GK - thanks for the help. I found the parts I need on Miniatures by Eric web site. Last night I ordered them plus several other items. He also has the Pyle barrel light. Was not familiar with his business.

Carl

[GhengisKong]

No problem, glad I could help. MbE has been a blessing to N scale details over the years.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That's the stuff (I gotta sit down for a minute now)! 

Yeah. Seriously.

SP was hot.

[mcjaco]

ON SP's EMD units, the clear gyralights were typically in the cab between the numberboards. Gyralights differ from Mars lights, in that the former produce a circular pattern while the latter produce a figure 8 pattern. All this said, I don't believe SP ever rostered any GP38's but they did have GP38-2's (I think the Kato model was actually a GP38-2).

Pretty sure they both do the figure eight, but were just from two different manufacturers, thus the different names for the light packages. 

[C855B]

Gyralights had a flattened circle (oval) pattern, Mars had a figure-8. The most evident side-by-side comparison when I was growing-up were SP's passenger trains. The SDP45s had the usual Gyralight, but the observation car tail marker was a red Mars. It was cool.

Mars lights on the SP were becoming rare by my day. Other than the tail cars, F-units had them and that was about it. Another tell-tale for Mars on the SP? Large single lens. Other than the red emergency light, Gyralights were paired sealed-beams.

[mcjaco]

^ You're correct.  I got my manufacturers mixed up a bit.  Mars also did a flattened circle pattern. 

[tehachapifan]

^ You're correct.  I got my manufacturers mixed up a bit.  Mars also did a flattened circle pattern.

Are you saying that both brands do an oval pattern or that Mars offered a light or lights that did an oval instead of a figure 8? Pretty sure that the paired, sealed-beam lights from Mars on, say, many DRGW tunnel motors for example were producing a figure 8 pattern. That said, many of their tunnel motors had Gyralights instead that produced an oval pattern. Aside from light pattern, the lights on these units and others can be hard to tell apart at a glance except for the number of thumbscrews/bolts opposite the hinges (1 on a Gyralight vs. 2 on a Mars).

[SP-Wolf]

Everything you always wanted to know about locomotive signal lights and more:

http://www.trainweb.org/gyra/history.htm
http://www.trainweb.org/gyra/mars.htm
http://www.trainweb.org/gyra/gyra.htm

Thanks,
Wolf