Mars lights... Gyra-lights etc. in Tales of the Jointed Track

Facebook.. Well, I follow some railroad related blogs and groups. A discussion on the Santa Fe SD-40’s equipped with a Gyralite style headlight. This was nose mounted, and the regular headlight was mounted up by the number boards. The Santa Fe always referred as “CLASS” units or classification of service designation. This was a SPECIAL Designated CLASS SD-40-2’s equipped, for SP/Santa Fe Coal power pool service. They were the 5058-to 5070 numbered units only.

These were supposed to be dedicated, to this pool. I am sure they were, but as they came out of inspection, and/or the DSF they found themselves roaming the system. I caught some, back on coal empties to the Powder River Basin, some in general freight.

In the “nose” of the SD-40-2 was the Gyralite. There was a Left arced lens, then Right arced lens , and a RED Emergency lens. IF you used it as a secondary headlight one either shone left or right. With a “MARS” you could focus, and spot the light to the mainline, as a secondary headlight. I really didn’t like that aspect. WHY? didn’t they allow a HIGH BEAM Left and Right together? They didn’t. Yeah liked the alternating feature, at a road crossing..other than that, it was distracting. I’ll take a MARS Light… You Rio Grande’s know what I am speaking about.

SP/BN Power Pool VV-092 093’s

We’d get Southern Pacific SD-40, SD-45, and U-33-C’s in this pool. San Antonio Coal trains.
They had the MARS LIGHT. and yep when on the head end I used em.

I remember a trip north, and it was late afternoon. I had a San Antonio empty back. We did great across the flats. Clouds were forming, a storm is impending. Pikes Peak is covered in cloudy weather. There are rays of sunshine, moving in and out, and there is a Dark, but not dark, type of light and weather forming. I would say it is like maybe 430 to 500 pm at Crews.
I had a SP U-33-C on the head end. High Green, at Crews we’re lined into the single track.

I have the Mars light, working for the crossings. It is more pronounced now, at Widefield and Security Crossings. The MARS is sweeping the crossing as it oscillates. Due to the low cloud cover, you can see sweep from the cab. The backdrop of the mountains, the clouds, it stands out in my mind. A non descriptive trip.. but another trip across the sub-division.