The GP9 at Steamtown was originally painted as a Nickel Plate locomotive.
Next, it was painted as a Lackawanna locomotive.
The present paint scheme is Nickel Plate.
The Mars Light case is cracked (water-leak). The museum has acquired a
replacement case.
GP9 at Steamtown in PA
SB-WR-2-200 Mars Light
Steamtown has verified this Mars Light number.
The serial number on this light is 1309.
Note the 2 knobs on front of case (see text).
The case is inverted due to a cracked case.
GP7 Burlington Route with SB-WR-2-200 Mars Light
photo by: Ken Kraemer
SD24 Burlington Northern with SB-WR-2-200 Mars Light
The Green Mountain Railroad Corporation's (GMRC) Mars "SB-WR-2-200" Lights were off
the steam locomotives used by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad CB&Q). The lights
ended up originally at the Illinois Railway Museum.
The CMO at the time was an ex-Burlington man, who made the acquisiton for these lights.
GMRC installed them on all their GP units long before the FRA required warning lights.
The lights were all White-Red lens units with the bulb switching relay in the case. What
GMRC did was to remove the relays as well as the red lens in all these lights. Clear lenses were
installed.
Since all of the track system for the *GMRC was single track, the red warning was
deemed unnecessary. The lights were run with both lamps energized on GP9s.
GMRC is now part of Vermont Rail System.
* All of the current GMRC/VTR (Vermont Rail System) is single track.
The motors in these lights were 32 volts (ex-steam locomotive units). Running them on the
diesels meant having to tap directly into the locomotive's battery box.The lights were connected
to a standard EMD headlight resistor array (i.e. lights wired in parallel).
A standard EMD headlight switch was used as the control for this light with a slight
variation:
The EMD switch was normally a 'Bright-Medium-Dim-Medium-Bright'. The modification of
this switch made the following settings available: 'Bright-Dim-Off-Dim-Bright'. What was
required to accomplish this was to lower the "Medium" voltage to that of "Dim" and eliminating
the "Dim" connection entirely (i.e. to "Off").
The motors were controlled by two EMD toggle switches that were: 'Momentary-Off-On'.
This would either Stop, Run, or Inch the motors.
All of these controls were squeezed into whatever available control stand space could be
found. In the case of 1849, a box was added on the side.
The cases of the Mars are held on by nuts & washers. This is an arrangement that we put on the lights.
The original was a big hand knob with a stud behind it. The posts in the case had female thread and you
had to hold the case just right in order to insert the hand bolt. We stopped using the hand bolts and put a
stud in the post instead so you could put the case in place and not have to
fuss with it, just put the nuts on.
The serial numbers on the 200 lights at GMRC were: 1098, 1370, 1373, 1382, 1383, 1385
The 1098 unit looked and functioned like all the rest.
GMRC put the 200 lights on their GP9s (both ends) as follows:
1848 - Mars unit mounted at top of hood where regular GP headlight was - with the
headlight then lowered (like CB&Q GP9s).
1849 & 1850 - Mars unit mounted above hoods on brackets (like CB&Q SD9s).
GMRC's Gyralite usage on their GP9s:
1851 (chopped nose - renumbered to 804) - used 20585 Gyralites. The front was flush in the number box in front of the cab with the
headlight relocated to the short nose. The rear used a surface mounted unit at the top of the hood with
the headlight lowered accordingly. It is interesting to note that the front Gyralite consisted of a door with
no case. The door was modified to mount right on the number box on the engine and was not usable on a Pyle case again.
GMRC did have 2 flange Gyralites. These were never intended to be used on much of anything
(except that one did pinch hit as a surface mounted unit on 1849 while a
broken Mars was repaired).
GMRC/VTR (Vermont Rail System) no longer uses the Mars Lights or Gyralites. Ditch lights
(crossing lights) are now used.
There is the opinion that the Mars Lights together with the Gyralites served as much better grade crossing warning
devices than the newly installed ditch (crossing) lights.
This light was originally run with with both lenses clear by the
Green Mountain Railroad. (In this mode, the internal relay was removed.)
The red lens was recently installed.
Back
Left side - Right side
The case was secured originally by threaded shafts attached to a knob which screwed into the threaded receiving end of the 2 shafts which were,in turn, secured to the base plate.
Green Mt. RR. removed these knobs an put a piece of threaded rod into each of the 2 receiving rods. A nut was used to secure the case to the threaded insert. It was thought to be
less of a nuisance to secure the case to the base plate by doing it in this fashion.
Front with bulbs removed
Gear case with cranks
Metal tag
Unit with knobs
