Years ago while walking far on the north end from the Tucson, AZ 22nd Ave. bridge I came across a badly damaged wooden scrap metal box. It was filled with dismembered, broken gyralights and lenses.One mans trash is another mans--well--- I still dont know how or why to this day but a perfectly working red nose unit just happened to end up into a collection. Also in the treasure box was lo and behold a very dirty cast aluminum Nathan P-3 horn!The only problem it had was soot clogged diaphrams. Every year all the neighbors and folks within a 5 mile radius get to hear some vintage 100+decibel SP music on new years eve. SP lives! :shade:
Oooh man would I love to have a working red gyralite!! It would go great with my flashing blue men at work lanterns to make it disco party night at my place!!!
Werll this was cool read. I bet the 4449 got her light because she was a restoration prject and therefore exempt from the SP project. And that the Mars Light was in snaow service because it did light up the snow and fog so well. And irt was funder by MArs Candies? No wonder the 4449 is such a sweet engine
When SP was going to merge with the Santa Fe, many things changed, one being the maintenance of the Mars lights. Santa Fe's influence I'm sure was felt by SP on the rotating gumball lights. Up till a year or so ago, there was one SP SW1500 in Roseville with the gumball light still working. UP used strobes until the ditch lights came into FRA regulations. WP and DRGW both used rotating lights to draw attention to the train. At night it would be hypnotic or memorizing going down the track with those lights doing their thing. Greg
