Guys, regarding the 5 lights on the rear of most SP locos, like SD40 #7370, what lights were the constant on while reversing, the bottom 2 or the middle 2? I would think the bottom 2 are the constant and the middle 2 are the gyro. Just wanna make sure. Thanks Mike
The bottom are the headlights and the middle the gyro. They stick out more because the mechanism that makes the light rotate is housed in it.
Light Show The top light is a red Gyra-lite. It was used as a rear marker light or if there had been an emergency brake application it came on too. On the front end of EMD units there was the Gyra-lite between the numberboards. The lights in the nose were the red Gyra-lite with the headlight below. GE's had the red Gyra-lite on the roof of the cab with the headlight between the numberboards and the Gyra-lite in the nose. The GE U25B U28-30-33C's had only a headlight on the rear. GP9 & SD7 & 9's had the lights stacked vertically with the red Gyra-lite then the Gyra-lite with the headlight on the bottom.
I was just wondering about this! I'm working on a B23-7, and didn't know which lights (cab or nose) were the gyra-lite's. So the headlight is between the numberboards on the B23/30/36's? Thanks for the info! Mike
No; on the B23/30/36-7s, the standard headlight was mounted on the nose. The clear dual Gyralights (or Osciltrol lights, as the late B36-7s had) were between the numberboards on the cab face, and the single red emergency gyra was mounted on a bracket on the cab roof, just above the clear gyras. On the rear, they had a "box" above the standard headlight that housed a horizontally-mounted signal light, and a bracket on top of the box held the red Gyralight. FWIW, a quick way to tell the difference between a standard dual headlight and a Gyralight (or Mars-brand) dual signal light housing is the shape; a standard headlight is more-or-less rectangular, while a Gyralight has a much more rounded, and slightly thicker appearance.
Actually, the U25Bs did have signal lights on their rear ends; there was a bracket-mounted red Gyralight at the top of the hood end, and a horizontally-mounted dual Gyralight mounted on the hood end, directly below the standard headlight. Not sure about the U28Bs, since rear-end shots of those have been hard to come by. Also, while the U25Bs and U28Bs had headlights between the numberboards and Gyralights in the nose, the later U50, U28C, U30C, and U33Cs were setup the opposite way. They had their Gyras on the numberboard, and standard headlights in the nose. The red emergency Gyra was still bracket-mounted on the cab, right above the numberboards.
Cool, good to know! Guess I'll have to get some fiber optics to run to the nose so the "lights" will be correct. Do you guys know of any online videos that show the Gyralights (or Osciltrol lights) in action? Thanks Mike
Here's one that shows the Gyras on a B30-7: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONelQcsNvwE"]YouTube - Street Running[/ame] I don't know of anything online showing the Oscitrols; they were somewhat rare on the SP, coming in use towards the end of the signal light era, right before the signal light "lobotomies" began.:thumbs_down: It was their brief attempt to try to use something similar in appearance to a Gyralight, but without the expense of maintaining its moving parts. Only the 1984-built 72xx-series SP/SSW GP40-2s, late B36-7s, and some of the last SD45R rebuilds had them. The housing looked similar to a Gyralite housing, but contained no moving parts. Each bulb was pointed slightly askew of one another, and they flashed in an alternating pattern, in order to simulate a "moving" warning light. More info here: Oscitrol Lights - Gyrating Warning Lights and here: http://trainweb.org/gyra/photo/sp_osc.htm
Thanks for the video, and all the help! It's much appreciated So this next one is a bit off topic, but in this picture of a B23-7, is that an electrical/battery cabinet on the walkway behind the cab? I can't find any good pictures of it online, but I have a great one in my SPSF book by Joe Shrine. I like to know what things are to help me model it better Thanks again! Mike
I'm not positive, but from its placement and from prior GE practice, I'd assume it's some type of electrical cabinet. Hopefully there's a GE expert out there that can chime in.
