I am curious to know if the silver (non-sound) version of the new 8-40CW will use the ditch lights in a prototypical fashion when you run under a DCC decoder. By "prototypical", I mean flashing on and off alternately, as opposed to the way Athearn did it in their SD70MAC - they were always on when the headlights were on...
Frank Eva
If you have to use constant-state lights (under analog control) isn't it more appropriate to use steady-on than alternate flashing? After all, aren't the lights only flashing when approaching a crossing? A train doesn't run with it's horn locked on, now does it...
And that is how the prototype does it. The lights flash alternately ONLY when the horn is being blown, and for 12-15 seconds after the horn blowing stops.
However, I have noticed that on BNSF engines, the lights do NOT flash with horn blowing; they stay solid all the time.
On the prototype, it depends on which railroad. Some don't use flashing ditchlights (BNSF generally doesn't, while CSX does)
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