Mars lights have not been used in a long time. Since they used a mechanical device to rotate the light around, it was high maintenance, and fell out of favor.
I remember staying at my grandparents house next to the tracks in the 1970s. I would sit on the front stoop, and every now and then, I would stand on the tracks and look in both directions. When I saw a rhythmic flash on the horizon, I knew it was the mars light of an approaching train; and would sit on the stoop and wait for it to pass.
