The dome cars did not get added to the CPR roster until 1954/1955 when they
bought the Budd cars for the Canadian so some of the FP's did not have these
lights as built. I think after one or two incidents with broken windows in
the domes they came up with the gyrolights on the locomotives and the
oscillating feature meant they could scan a larger area than if they were
fixed. The icicle breakers followed shortly thereafter when it was realized
they could eliminate most of the icicles before they could damage the domes.
And it certainly enabled other crews and the public to spot the passenger
trains. None of the CP FP's came with front door mounted Mars lights. I
think the Gyrolights were move effective in any event.
In Vancouver they always turned the train on the loop track at the Vancouver
coach yard but the locomotives were not always turned unless they did not
have an A unit at both ends. I don't know what they did elsewhere.
The icicle risk was primarily west of Calgary and there were some FP's that
never came west on a regular basis, I think the higher numbers like
1432-1434, but there may have been others. But there were other risks as
well beside icicles, i.e. tree branches. Even if the hogger did not have
time to stop if he spotted something he would often have time to slow down a
bit. The dome cars were quite a ways back in the train so it is doubtful if
any passengers riding in the domes would have been able to see what the
gyrolights were picking up, but certainly the engine crew could.
I was riding the Canadian westbound once when we came across a mud slide
across the tracks just east of the Upper Spiral Tunnel and the hogger got
the train stopped well short of the slide. We sat there for a few hours
while they cleared it.
As for whether the gyrolights were removable, I do not know. Certainly they
could be removed for repairs or to be replaced but whether they were removed
on a regular basis I do not know as I never saw them east of Calgary and I
never saw them take one off.
Doug
Hi Doug,
Yes, I know the icicle breakers were on the roof of the passenger FP7a's and
FP9a's for the protection of the dome. I did not know the prime purpose of
the Mars lights on the roof but it makes sense they were there to spot
icicles as well. I do have memories of riding both the Canadian and the
Dominion as a child in the 1950's and 1960's on our annual trek from Sudbury
to Montreal, and distinctly remember sitting in the Skyline dome car and
watching the circular pattern of both of those roof mounted Mars lights. No
tunnels between Sudbury and Montreal though.
But back to the Mars lights on these locomotives. If we assume the 14XX
series of FP7a's and FP9a's were the assigned passenger power, when I look
at photos of these 14XX locomotives in their as delivered "block" paint
scheme, some have the Mars lights atop the unit while others do not. All
have the icicle breakers though. In photos, if an A-A pair, the lead
locomotive has them, the trailing does not. That was what led to my
question regarding them possibly being removable. Obviously, an A-A pair
could be turned on a turntable so that the lead unit on the westbound trip
remains the lead unit on the eastbound trip. Or, if removable, the Mars
light could be moved from one unit to another.
Seeing they are on the roof of the FP's, it wouldn't be as easy as
transferring the front door light of the RDC, as I know they are, in fact,
removable.
I am simply puzzled that I can see the Mars light on some FP passenger units
and not others.
Mike
