On the Milwaukee the covered wagons were the MARS oscillating type. They had a switch on the side of the light dimmer switch box that would put the light in the oscillate position or shut the motor off.

The old steam hoggers on passenger wanted you(Fireman) to go into the nose and hand crank the light into the highest position(aiming toward the sky) so the beam could be seen probably 5 miles distant at night. I,as a young and full of it fireman asked an Engineer why as the idea to the OS light was to warn motorists at crossings,would he want it way up in the air. He basically told me thats the way all the old hoggers did it,which was true, and to remember I was just the lowly fireman and to do as I was instructed.

The Milwaukee got rid of the oscillators because they were labor intensive. We had some old wagons toward the late 70's and eaerly 80's that were still equipped but disconnected. Some of us hoggers would re-wire them,when the Milwaukee brass found out they threatened disipline so the practice was stopped.

The Milwaukee equipped second some sencond generation power with blinking amber lights for a time do to a Washington state law taht all engines working in the state had to be equipped. This law didn't last long and the lights started coming off. Alot got smashed going into alot of old Milwaukee engine houses.

I remember when Amtrak got the F40PH's with the double strobes. I hated making the station stop at Columbus,WI in winter darkness as those strobeslights bounced off the buildings like a million flashblubs going offin your face. In one mile you went from 79mph to spotting the baggage car infront of the cart and the lights were a wee bit distracting.

I personally think that the AAR stealing the ditch light idea from Canada was the best thing that was done for locomotive illumination in my career.