How to set up Mars Lights with DCC

To me Mars Lights shout out SP, much like Tunnel Motors, searchlight signals, golden grass, bloody nose and grime do. You can see a lot of prototype examples on YouTube, like this one.

Engines at both ends of my diesel lash-ups are equipped with Mars Lights. Even tough small N scale engines usually does not have room enough for a working full SP lights set, just having Mars Light effect adds up to the prototype feel.

I set up decoders so that the Mars Lights on the lead engine can be activated with throttle F0 regardless of engine direction. Real engines' lights doesn't toggle on and off according to direction!
If a LED light is present on the rear, I want to control it with throttle F1, again no matter what direction the engine is running.

These days DCC makes it simple: converting a fixed headlight into a Mars Light it's a matter of tuning a couple of decoder's CVs. For those not using DecoderPro or other softwares to program decoders here are few values to help setting up Mars Lights.

TCS Decoders
- Indipendent lights - F0 toggles front light, F1 toggle read light regardless of engine direction
CV33 = 2
CV34 = 4

- Turning headlight into Mars Lights
CV49 = 34
CV50 = 34

- Fine tuning Mars Lights behavior
CV112 = 4
CV113 = 4
CV114 = 1
CV115 = 6
CV116 = 22


Digitrax Decoders
- Indipendent lights - F0 toggles front light, F1 toggle read light regardless of engine direction
CV33 = 2
CV34 = 2

- Adding Mars light effect to the F0 outputs (valid for FX3 decoders)
CV49 = 34
CV50 = 34


Here is the result:

Mars Lights on an N scale engine from Denny on Vimeo.