Amtrak strobes

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Anyone know when these eye phased out? What about the light patterns? I seem to remember both strobes lit at the same time maybe one flash every three seconds?

I don't usually do a full light package but these might be fun if I'm using the Loksound adapter board.

[greenwizard88]

I don't know years, but I can give approximations.

F40's pre-ditch lights would flash at the same time. I believe that was "as delivered". At some point, they switched to independent strobes. Rapido usually does their homework, and the "non-modernized" F40's can do either.

By the early 90's, they had ditch lights and independent strobes. I suspect they were around until they were retired or turned into cab cars, although looking at some of the cab cars they appear to have kept the strobe lights.

If you search for "strobe", there's some good information here. https://rapidotrains.com/master-class/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/f40ph-master-class

This video from 2012 shows the strobes flashing in a pattern - first, second, pause, first, second, pause...

[tehachapifan]

Good info and timely as I've also been pondering getting the strobes in my F40PH operating as well. They also appear to have a bluish color to them so that would determine LED color selection.

[TimF]

Look here, at the beginning both strobes are working similar

[nickelplate759]

Look here, at the beginning both strobes are working similar

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Never mind that - at about 3'30" the engineer blows "shave and a haircut" at the grade crossing!

[davefoxx]

If it helps, I pulled the literature from my Rapido HO scale F40PH, and it says this about the strobe lights:

All Amtrak F40PH locomotives came equipped with strobe lights.  However, just to make things difficult for model train manufacturers 40 years later, there are variations to the strobe light design and function.  The early strobe lights were smaller and flashed together.  Starting in the late 1980s, all Amtrak F40s (except locomotive 216) were retrofitted with Star 200BC strobe lights.  These are larger than the original strobes and flashed randomly, independent of each other.

Hope this helps,
DFF

[peteski]

Those strobes use Xenon strobe bulbs (similar to what is used in camera flashes). Xenon emits a cool white light. Cool white LEDs (5000k or higher) are a good approximation of the Xenon light.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I think I'll just run LEDs in parallel to the strobes in order to use one AUX output. I can use the other AUX output for the red class light. I don't want to solder jumpers onto the Loksound 5 board if possible.

[Wutter]

I think I'll just run LEDs in parallel to the strobes in order to use one AUX output. I can use the other AUX output for the red class light. I don't want to solder jumpers onto the Loksound 5 board if possible.

You can have your headlight, taillight and AUX 1-4 (4 functions worth) without any jumper wires to the decoder itself. Sounds like you only need 3 to get independent strobes and red marker lights?