Marker lights not a option

How about the actual product number of your locomotive?

Some diesels have the marker and interior (cab) lights both on the interior (LIN) soft key.

See if LIN toggles the market and interior lights on and off together.

The item # 20-2579-1. There is also a option to turn ditch lights on and off. There are no ditch lights on engine. 

The interior light option does just that turns the interior lights on and off. It does not effect the marker lights. Now the aux option just mimics the interior light option. 

So is it a software problem in the app or something in the engine it’s self? 

 Do the markers (class lights) light up in conventional mode? If so I would guess it's a software problem.. Did you check all the soft-key options including the ones under the "more"

Maybe try a feature reset... Menu/Advanced/ reset engine/ feature reset.

DO a feature reset to see if they come back on.  G

They are on all the time. I did try a feature reset. Just seems kinda goofy that there is no soft key to toggle them on or off and the interior and aux keys do the exact same function. This level of troubleshooting is getting well above me. 

They are on all the time.

First, do the marker lights come on when the track receives power or when the engine is started up?

If they do come on when the track initially receives power, there's an issue. It's quite possible that the PS2 board's FET that controls the marker lights is blown and allowing track power to go directly to the markers. If this is the case, eventually the markers may burn out altogether. You can attempt to verify this by increasing voltage slowly and seeing if the marker lights get brighter as voltage increases.

If the markers onlycome on when the engine is started up, then the "defect" is that the engine's sound file may be missing the LMK soft key that controls the marker lights. This may be by design (although I doubt it) or it may be an oversight on MTH's part. A call to MTH support will determine which it is. If it's an oversight that's already been corrected, MTH should be able to direct you to download and install the latest sound file from the engine's MTH web page, or offer to correct and repost the file.

The markers only come on when the start command is given. So it must be in the missing LMK soft key. I will try to contact the support at MTH. 

Just as an FYI, while I've yet to see a diesel where the marker light are not controlled by an LMK or LIN soft key, I do have a small Premier steamer where there is no soft key for the marker lights. If memory serves, it's either an 0-6-0 or 0-4-0 (A5) model.

I've never bothered to see if there's a newer sound file with a relevant soft key.

So you want them off? Just open it up and pull the plug/cut the wires. Problem solved.

Just curious, why is this such a big deal?  While I suppose it's nice to have control of them, is it really necessary?

I have a GP35 with marker lights and when power is applied they come on, when power is cut they shut off. That's how the marker lights work so there is nothing wrong with the marker lights on your SD50.

Depending on how the locomotive is wired, if you want them off you may have to either turn off the cab lights or number board lights, or both with the corresponding key on your DCS remote or app. I don't believe ProtoSound 2 or 3, for that matter, allows the user to configure lighting effects like a lot of DCC decoders do. 

I like the lights on even if it's not prototypical and I run 2-rail. The more lights the better.

Your right it’s not a big deal. I am just one that likes or obsess with things function as it should. Most defiantly nothing to loose sleep over. Since I am a total amature on this stuff and for the most part high tech behind the times, with trying to catch up not looking good. Well I get on here for the help of people that’s got way more knowledge of this stuff than I will ever know. 

Many PS/2 diesel locomotives do allow control of the markers.  I get wanting them to be controllable, I'm kinda' the same way.  However, sometimes things don't work the way I'd like them to.   As for controlling the markers, the board certainly has the capability, and the PS/3 diesels have a ton of outputs for everything under the sun, and if programmed, you can control all of them individually.

Since the SD50 doesn't have ditch lights could individual control of the marker lights be achieved thru wiring the markers to run off the ditch light outputs on a PS2 or PS3 board?

I have my markers on my LokSound equipped locomotives running off my rotary beacon and rear ditch light outputs since none of my locomotives have either. I just changed the lighting characteristics to that of a headlight so the markers wouldn't strobe or flash.

Since the SD50 doesn't have ditch lights could individual control of the marker lights be achieved thru wiring the markers to run off the ditch light outputs on a PS2 or PS3 board?

That would probably be inadvisable for two reasons.

First, the idea of rewiring a perfectly functional engine to achieve a relatively minuscule improvement undertakes risk for just about 0 gain. If the OP can't urn off the markers, what's the tragedy?

Second, the correct solution, which is noninvasive, is to load a sound file to remedy the problem. Assuming that the omitted soft key is an oversight and the engine's PS2 board is capable of managing the marker lights, which I pretty much believe is the case, then loading almost any diesel 3 volt PS2 sound file that has an LMK soft key would solve the problem.

I have my markers on my LokSound equipped locomotives

What's a LokSound locomotive?

This isn’t that big a deal to go physically changing things. Just thought it was kinda weird that out of all my diesels of this era of Proto 2 diesels this is the only one that does not have a marker  light soft key. Thinking it might have been a over sight somewhere a long the line, other than that it’s a perfectly running unit. 

Barry Broskowitz posted:

What's a LokSound locomotive?

I don't know but a LokSound EQUIPPED locomotive has a DCC decoder that can accomodate different wiring preferences, i.e. getting the marker lights to work independent of other lighting functions.

If this is a RK engine versus PR it is more the lower line and sometimes those feature are not added.  Especially earlier model that only had a 1Meg chip.  Or if an oversite by the sound engine as stated above.  As you gain more experience you may in fact choose to upgrade to a later model Sound File and pick up additional feature control.  G

G, It is a Premiere. Like I said earlier. Just seems kinda funny how everything else I have of this era of MTH has the option. When time and experience permit I’ll dig into it deeper. Now it’s time to move on to more serious DCS problem that have crept up. Thanks everyone for your input. 

That is 2005 unit, so maybe it had a repair and new board and some one loaded wrong sound file.  I would reload sound file and see if LMK shows up. G

I have never done that so I need to read up on how to do it. Thanks for the Suggestion. 

Gotta go with you John.  Why get too upset about stuff.

MTH 20-20218 Gp 60 .     Only one ditch light working properly.                                                                                 Both contact pads showing voltage open and close on volt meter with cab off and running at 2 SMPH or more forward. Seems right.        Switch connectors  , both bulbs OK and functioning properly from the one pad.  Springs looked good. Changed springs anyway. . Extra fine sandpaper used on spring ends. Still no alternating ditch lights , only one blinking like before ???!!!???  How many times do I have to go over this ?

Simple course of action . Soldered both red wires and then both black wires of ditch lights.  Both ditch lights now work but flash at the same time . Hope no component damage coming .

Oh well .   20-20218 still does everything else well.