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GYRATING
WARNING LIGHTS
All the time you hear people saying "I love those Mars lights". Very seldom do you hear them refered to as Gyralites. There is difference. The Mars Light was made by MarsLite Corporation, formed in April of 1933. The Gyrolite was made by Pyle-National Electric Headlight Company, founded in 1897.
The Rio Grande used Mars lights until around 1978. After that they used Gyrolites. The following was written up by Jim Eager.
The Rio Grande used Mars signal lights on all of its cab units, starting with its FTs of 1941. In all cases the Mars light was mounted in the nose, with the headlight mounted below in the door. All of the Grande's PAs, FTs, F3s, F5s and all F7s through unit 5644 were delivered with WR-5000 Mars Lights. F7s 5651-5694 were delivered with white over red dual-lens Mars lights in the nose (SB-WR-2-200), but these were quickly changed to dual white. F7s 5701-5764 and the F9s were delivered with dual white lenses (SB-WR-2-200 - dual Clear option). [There is also the possibilty of the SBWR-5000 lights being used or at least some conversion units of this model to update former WR-5000s - dual Clear option]. Two earlier units were wrecked and fitted with dual lights when rebuilt, 5481 and 5571. Krauss-Maffei units 4000-4003 came with dual-white lenses in the nose as well.
None of the Grande's switchers or early road switchers came with signal lights or had them applied, so their GP30s were the first roadswitchers to be delivered with nose-mounted dual white Mars lights (SBW-2-301). All subsequent road units were so equipped (GP35s, GP40s, SD45s) through GP40-2 3128 and SD40T-2 5385.
Subsequent units were delivered with Gyralites: GP40-2s 3129-3130, SD40T-2s 5386-5413 (5386-5397 were mounted in a box), and SD50s 5501-5517. Several older units are known to have received replacement Gyralites as well. GP60s 3154-3156 and the second-hand Conrail GP40s did not have signal lights applied.
Now for everything you ever wanted to know about Gyrating Warning Lights, go to Steve King's Gyrating Warning Lights site.
Again, a thanks to Jim Eager and Steve King.
Last Update 10/25/01
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