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Re: [BRHSlist] Re: What's a "gyra-light"?

To: BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [BRHSlist] Re: What's a "gyra-light"?
From: "zephyr9903" <zephyr9903@iowatelecom.net>
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 21:01:40 -0600
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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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