…Neat…! I’m surprised of the 12 volt usage…Thought railroad equipment used a different voltage than the usual 12 v.
I wonder if they haven’t thought of using LED arrays like the current rescue equipment have now. I noticed this when I was in traffic tonight. There was a MA State trooper car sitting next the disabled vehicle that caused the gawk-effect traffic jam. These can be pretty bright at night, as well as directional. Being totally electronic, they can be computer controlled to come on in any pattern they are configured for, and they are much easier to maintain then the older mechanical devices.
Thanks guys for the very informative history behind the Mars Light.
John
…Those LED lights are a modern marvel. All kinds of them coming on the scene now. From traffic lights, Bank “time and temp” signs, even flashlights and it’s my understanding they use very little current. A brand new Bank type sign we drive past quite often is unbelievably bright even in daylight.
They really should be a natural to use in emergency type lighting…Or warning lights.
And they are. Check out that “almost stealth” lightbar on the next cop car you see. A neat feature of LEDs is that they can have a clear housing, yet still project whatever color they are made for. I have an LED dash light that shows no colors until you turn in on. Then it flashes red and white.
As you can see from the many LED traffic lights that are around these days, LEDs can be added to make about as big a warning light as you care to create.
Even school buses are using LEDs now.
LEDs are getting popular in cars, particularly for stop and tail lights. They’ve taken the trucking industry by storm.
I wouldn’t be too surprised to see LED array ditchlights one of these days. The catch is that they are great for a warning light, but they don’t make very good headlights. Have yet to see a vehicle with LED headlights…
This particular light was probably used on a fire truck (notice the chrome…).
The model “888” refers to the pattern the light “drew”.
They might. The one pictured is a Mars 888 mounted in a chrome bullet-shaped housing for exterior use on a fire truck. The also made flush mounts … and still do. Click the image to enlarge & read specs…
Funny you should mention the “stealth” lightbars. These bars are also thinner to then the old type so people think these are ski racks (being in the north), and not cop-lights on an unmarked car.
The LEDS are really amazing devices, and these new high intensity ones are really bright. I was wondering about this too, and a quick search on google produced this even though it is mentioned for automobiles, I’m sure the development could be for any transportation equipment:
"…headlamp applications using LEDs are not yet in volume production, but have been undergoing very active development, and present prototypes give performance roughly equal to existing halogen headlamps. These prototype designs currently require large packaging and a large number of the most powerful LED emitters available. As LED te
The issue with using LEDs in railroad applications, is that 49CFR sec 229.125 states that locomotives headlights and auxiliary lights must produce 200,000 candela. Currently, and for the near future this is beyond the reach of LEDs. Anyone know the regs for automobile headlights?
However, LEDs are successfully, being used in EOTs, and Blue Flags.
Nick
I can get a perfectly servicable halogen or strobe lightbar for my vehicle for around $1000, and certainly less. Despite the fact that the cost of LEDs has come down, the full sized lightbars are still in the $2000+ range.
But, boy, are they bright!
Because LEDs are (at least compared to incadescent/halogen) “instant-on/instant-off” it’s possible to mimic strobes, halogens, and to get creative with flash patterns.
IIRC, locomotive “auxiliary lights” (ditch lights) can be strobes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone try LEDs there, perhaps with a funky flash pattern. Anything to attract attention!