Marshall,
Here is a web site that provides more information than you really want
to know about oscillating headlights. From it, it would appear that the
Q used primarily Mars lights, not Pyle National Gyra lites.
Bill Barber
www.trainweb.org/gyra/
On Tuesday, November 11, 2003, at 05:08 AM, BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com
wrote:
> Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 21:01:40 -0600
> From: "zephyr9903" <zephyr9903@iowatelecom.net>
> Subject: Re: Re: What's a "gyra-light"?
>
> On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 10:52:36 -0600, William Barber wrote
>> In the Q days, the Gyra-lites or "Mars" lights had a figure 8
>> pattern. Later versions had a circular pattern, but those were after
>> the BN was formed. Gyra-lites, while very effective, fell into
>> disfavor over time due to high maintenance costs. Flashing or beacon
>> lights were less complicated and cheaper. The Gyra-lite mechanism
>> was actually a gear drive platform designed to move the light in a
>> particular circular or figure 8 pattern. On some RRs, there were
>> reports of the light causing a hypnotic effect on the crew. One
>> point of clarification: the Gyra-lite was an additional light on the
>> front of the locomotive, not the only light. The locomotive still
>> had a fixed beam headlight on at the same time that the Gyra-lite
>> was operating.
>>
>> Bill Barber
>
> Oh, darn! I'm gonna have to play pedantic historian again! (there
> will be a
> brief pause while most of you delete this message) -
>
> There is an economic difference between a MARS light and a GyraLight .
> . . so
> let's step back a ways.
>
> Steam engines made a lot of noise, sent up plumes of smoke, etc. - but
> diesels could sneak up on a grade crossing at high rates of speed.
> This was
> recognized early on, and the first UP streamliners attempted to use
> light to
> give a warning. It didn't work well, because their idea of a "light
> warning"
> was to direct a single beam straight up. Unless there were clouds or
> fog,
> nobody saw diddly-squat. Next?
>
> A patent company called "MARS" (and I think it was an acronym for
> something,
> but don't remember what it stood for) came up with a standard headlight
> mounted in a motorized bracket, whose beam swept an oval pattern head
> of the
> locomotive . . . this presented a flashing light to approaching
> motorists,
> which might (or might not) attract their attention . . .
>
> Which thoroughly upset the Pyle-National Corporation which, for
> decades, had
> been a major manufacturer of locomotive headlights, turbogenerators
> and other
> electrical appliances.
>
> Pyle, therefore, set out to design something which would be
> patentable and
> (if possible) more effective . . . the Pyle National "Gyralight" used
> extra
> linkeages to trace a horizontally oriented "Figure Eight" pattern,
> which was
> rather distinctive - while the MARS light (seen from a point adjacent
> to the
> track) slowly brightened and dimmed as the oval light path passed your
> line
> of sight, the Gyralight (with a tighter focussed beam and a pattern
> which
> would intersect vertical as well as horizontal offsets) *flashed* quite
> distinctly.
>
> While some of the earliest passenger diesels (and some of the Fs)
> received
> MARS lights, the Q had switched over to Gyralights by the time most of
> the
> hoods came on line.
>
> If you are modeling the late transition period, you may want to check
> the
> specs on diagram sheets to determine which classes or specific motors
> had
> which . . .
>
> Marshall Thayer
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