Did the Mars lights on Burlington's modern steam locomotives and SD diesels rotate in a figure 8 pattern? How about NKP Berks?
Mark . . . Nickel Plate, Burlington (as well as C&S and FW&D), Milwaukee Road, and Rock Island are four carriers that never gave up on Mars, and used it as their exclusive oscillating headlight.
Most other railroads either bought from both Mars and Pyle (Santa Fe, Southern Pacific), or started switching to Pyle Gyralite after tiring of the extra maintenance on the dual cranks and levers that drove the Mars oscillating headlight. UPRR stopped equipping new locomotives with Mars Lights in 1955 or '56, but left them intact and operable on existing cab units swell as on the GP7's and SD7's. Southern Pacific, which equipped every road locomotive and many switchers with Mars or Pyle oscillating headlights, abruptly discontinued their use and, in amazingly short time period, removed all of them.
I figured that, except for short lines and museums, commuter rail would be the only regular daily use on the main line these days, thus my question. 
Thanks to all who answered. 
