Years ago and the current older diesel locomotives had yellow strobe light mounted on the top of the carbody. All the locomotives manufactured the last 10 to 20 years do not include this. Does anyone know the history of the strobe light?
Strobe lights were added as a safety precaution to increase visibility of trains. They weren’t standard though, it was on a per company basis. When ditchlights became standard, the railroads removed the strobe lights.
I’d love to see someone someday come out with a working HO strobelight for model locomotives - not just a blinking light but working like the real one!! I can remember seeing MN&S diesels in the 60’s-70’s with the yellow strobe shooting out four circulating beams of light, it was pretty neat.
They are accurate depending on the model of “roller” you’re talking about.
I think it would be possible to mount 3 very very small LEDs together to achieve the classic “roller” but the wiring might be tight.
Let’s see. There’s strobe lights, rotating lights, revolving lights, sequenced incandescent flashing lights, and LED flashing lights. All but the latter have been used on locomotives. If you’re going for accuracy, you better be able to use the right light on the right locomotive for the right railroad.
I used to sell and service those lights, so I sort of pay attention to them. For example, one of my pet peeves is when TV producers do things like feature an LAPD car equipped with a Whelen model 9604 strobe light bar. LAPD has never used Whelen products, let alone a strobe light bar. To make things worse, those Whelen bars aren’t even equipped with a steady burn red light to the front and flashing amber lights to the rear as required by California Title XIII.
Anyway … where were we?
Oh yeah. People notice little details.
Ahh, a lightbar geek. There is one on every forum (except the lightbar forum I’ve heard about, where everyone is a lightbar geek … way too scary for me!).
In Canada some yard locomotives are equipped with red strobes to indicate the locomotive is being run from a belt pack.
ah i remember the strobes. the CNWs had them when i used to watch them. i especially remember them on the GP7s i used to watch switching at the industrial park around here.
although there’s a chance some still have their strobes. i doubt they still work. like the class lights.
UP’s E9s have those neat beacons though. i like how they still use those even if the units have ditchlights
The Soo Line SD40-2 units had strobe lights and they were never removed, even after repainting and the addition of ditch lights.
Andrew
I think I remember hearing something a while back that these were for grade crossing safety. The single headlight on a locomotive apparently made it hard to judge how far away a locomotive was from the crossing. I am almost positive this was the reason for ditch lights, but I am not sure about the strobe on the cab, although it would make sense. Goodluck,
Nagrom
The BN E8/9’s that used to haul the commuter trains to chicago had amber lights on the Engine above the cab and also on the cab car’s center mounted… Now the Metra engines have two lights off center on either side, one amber one red… In my life I have never seen the red light activated only the amber one… never did understand that [%-)]
The BN engines had two diffrent styles, one with more of a rounded dome on the light and that one actually rotated, The other one I have seen was more squared off with the top of the becon dome flat that didnt rotate but teh light actually moved from one light to the next sequentially so from a distance it looked like it was rotating
Only engines I have ever seen “Strobe” lights on are Amtrak
Some years ago, NJTransit added strobe lights to all their engines. They took some getting used to but now you don’t even notice.
Yes, I remember them as well. And I hated them. They were extremely detrimental to my night-vision while switching in close quarters (like in a yard and/or at industries).
In years past (like on the SP geeps), the red activated automatically when the brakes went in to emergency. On the Metra F40s, the red (located with the rotating white light above the nose) is activated manually from the cab.
If it means anything, I live near the TOMAR factory … 
and I used to have one of those 9600 Edge bars - bought it at a thrift store for $20.
So what you’re saying is they aren’t effective?
I know a guy who would have an orgasm if you told him that.