"Mars lights", had several moving parts, which would eventually fail. When they did the locomotive involved would be out of service due to a "federal defect". It was more cost effective to remove them than fight with them for most roads. I saw a pile of them at Bellevue, Ohio, after they had been removed from former Nickel Plate units. N&W sold them for scrap or recycled them, and I think other lines did likewise.
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The short answer is if the FRA didn't require it then take it off.
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