The footage on the DVD shows several scenes of the NYC Aerotrain coming and going. One scene shows it traveling down the track during the day and the rear red (left) taillight flashing like a gyralight. Another scene shows an Aerotrain travel during twilight hours. The outer front headlights are on constant and the inner headlights exhibit a mars light effect (figure 8) rather than a gyralight. As the train passes, the rear red taillight is completely off.
I didn’t see any scenes where the rear taillight was on but not flashing, Randy. According to the literature that was included with the Con-Cor Aerotrain (Rail Classics article, “Here Comes Tomorrow” by Gary Dolzall), the Aerotrain’s “rear featured red and white rotating lights which bracketed ‘GM’ insignia”. I thought I read in that or another article where the term “gyralight” was used to describe those lights.
So, if they are indeed an oscillating/gyralight, it would be highly unlikely for them to be used for anything else? If that is the case, another piece of footage with the Aerotrain coming towards the camera (during daylight hours) with the outer & inner headlights on but NOT flashing wouldn’t mesh with the earlier mentioned twilight footage of the locomotive coming towards the camera with the outer headlights on constant but the inner headlights flashing. Maybe a separate question on the Prototype forum. [:^)]
Unfortunately, there isn’t much footage of the actual Aerotrain in action online to gather anymore data for prototypical operation of the lighting. The NYC DVD from Green Frog Productions on the Aerotrain is only about 2 to 2-1/2 minutes in length, total.
Hmm, so I guess you need a total of 5 functions but which ones would be combined? Based on that last description you have the 2 outer white lights, on or off, basic light functions, the inner white ones, off or on with a mars light effect, and then the front red light which is probably also a mars light. In back, the red Gyralite effect, and a white Gyralight effect.
You could always put a 2 function function only decoder in the last car to control those 2 lights. Then you would have enough functions available on the existing decoder up front to handle those lights. Which beats running wires through the whole train to feed the rear lights.
That’s what the TCS FL4 decoder is doing. It controls the rear F0F (red) and F0R (white) LEDs on the observation car. AUX 1 & 2 (green & purple) are paired together and AUX 3 & 4 (brown & pink) are paired together. F5 is what changes them from gyralight to constant.
The F0F on the Loksound Select micro controls the outer pair of headlight, the F0R the central red LED, and AUX 1 & 2 (green & purple) are paired together to give me the gyralight for the inner two LEDs.
Sorry if that wasn’t clear before, Randy. That’s the reason for the dual decoder PCB testing platform.
I have a pair of the Genesis, Amtrak SDP-40Fs which have a regular headlight and a white Gyralight. The Gyralight is mapped to F5.
The locomotive also has a red Gyralight in a separate housing and it is only activated when you press the emergency stop button on your throttle.
Three functions on one (E-stop) button. a) the motor stops immediately, b) a sound function of an emergency air release, and c) the light function of the red Gyralight.
You could do the same if you wanted to see the red Gyralight functioning as an emergency “beacon”. Trains operating with a red Gyralight, as far as I can see, including the Aerotrain, still had a pair of standard marker lights or the built-in marker lights displating a steady red. Somewhere, I recall seeing a photo of the tail of the Aerotrain with a pair of big ol’ kerosene markers in the brackets!
On the SDP-40F the red Gyralight stays illuminated until you dial the throttle up from any speed step above 0. I think it is a pretty neat feature.