Working Ditch Lights... Yeah or Ney!!!

[wvsecondary]

I have decided that I can no longer live with locomotives that do not have working ditch lights. I have paired down my roster by more than 30 units and have decided to add ditch lights to all that remain. I feel that in this age of highly detailed RTR it is unacceptable that manufacturers keep pushing product that is missing one of the most important parts of the loco. So am I nuts or just like to give myself a lot of extra work and wiring? Weigh in with your opinion.
As a side note adding a Tsunami with the working ditch lights that flash with the horn is super fun and way cool.
If you do ditch lights share how you do it. Myself I use 1.5v bulbs to give my NS Dash 9's the right look.

[stillbre]

You have to remember now that most railroads don't do flashing ditch lights anymore. I believe NS and CSX are the only ones that still do. Not sure about CN and CP though but BNSF and UP use constant ditch lights.
If I were modeling ditch lights I would like to have the ability to make them flash. I'm not going to be using sound so they won't have to flash when the horn blows. However, I'm back dating my fleet to the early 90s and the only power I'll have with ditch lights will be a couple NS SD70s that will be fresh off the assembly line.

[mrogden]

I am about to start a monster project, four NS SD40-E's, right now I am thinking about just using dummies w/ MV's.

~Bradley

[santafedan]

I've known you for many years, Mike, and you've been crazy the entire time. ;D I look at modeling as whatever the builder wants it to be for them. If you want ditch lights and don't mind the work it takes and, especially, have the patience (which I don't have much of) then go for it. If you want the ditch lights to come on at every crossing or if you want to run an under weight Army train with horn hook couplers that derails every time someone breaks wind then I say, "go for it, it's your's, have fun"!

You can give me a horn/ditch light demo next Friday.

SantaFeDan