diff --git a/include/osg/Light b/include/osg/Light
index 631303bf7..d7f2e733b 100644
--- a/include/osg/Light
+++ b/include/osg/Light
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ class SG_EXPORT Light : public StateAttribute
 
             // compare each paramter in turn against the rhs.
             COMPARE_StateAttribute_Parameter(_lightnum)
-            COMPARE_StateAttribute_Parameter(_on)
             COMPARE_StateAttribute_Parameter(_ambient)
             COMPARE_StateAttribute_Parameter(_diffuse)
             COMPARE_StateAttribute_Parameter(_specular)
@@ -45,20 +44,16 @@ class SG_EXPORT Light : public StateAttribute
             return 0; // passed all the above comparison macro's, must be equal.
         }
 
-	/**
-	 * Turn the light on.
-	 * Calling this method doesn't directly affect OpenGL's lighting mode.
-	 */
-        inline void on() { _on = true; }
+        virtual void setStateSetModes(StateSet& ds,const GLModeValue value) const
+        {
+            ds.setMode(GL_LIGHT0+_lightnum,value);
+        }
 
-	/**
-	 * Turn the light off.
-	 * Calling this method doesn't directly affect OpenGL's lighting mode.
-	 */
-	inline void off() { _on = false; }
-
-	/** Apply the light's state to the OpenGL state machine. */
-        virtual void apply(State& state) const;
+        /** Set which OpenGL light to operate on.*/
+        void setLightNum(const int num) { _lightnum = num; }
+        
+        /** Get which OpenGL light this osg::Light operates on.*/
+        const int getLightNum() const { return _lightnum; }
 
 	/** Set the ambient component of the light. */
         inline void setAmbient( const Vec4& ambient ) { _ambient = ambient; }
@@ -126,6 +121,9 @@ class SG_EXPORT Light : public StateAttribute
 	 */
         void captureLightState();
 
+	/** Apply the light's state to the OpenGL state machine. */
+        virtual void apply(State& state) const;
+
     protected :
     
         virtual ~Light();
@@ -134,7 +132,7 @@ class SG_EXPORT Light : public StateAttribute
         void init();
 
         int _lightnum;                           // OpenGL light number
-        bool _on;                                // on/off state
+
         Vec4 _ambient;                           // r, g, b, w
         Vec4 _diffuse;                           // r, g, b, w
         Vec4 _specular;                          // r, g, b, w
@@ -145,8 +143,6 @@ class SG_EXPORT Light : public StateAttribute
         float _quadratic_attenuation;            // quadratic
         float _spot_exponent;                    // exponent
         float _spot_cutoff;                      // spread
-
-        static int _currentLightNum;             // current max. OpenGL light number
 };
 
 };
diff --git a/src/osg/Light.cpp b/src/osg/Light.cpp
index b8293e318..18f63f077 100644
--- a/src/osg/Light.cpp
+++ b/src/osg/Light.cpp
@@ -3,13 +3,8 @@
 
 using namespace osg;
 
-int Light::_currentLightNum = -1;
-
 Light::Light( void )
 {
-    _lightnum = ++_currentLightNum;
-    _on = 1;
-
     init();
 
     //     notify(DEBUG) << "_ambient "<<_ambient<<std::endl;
@@ -32,6 +27,7 @@ Light::~Light( void )
 
 void Light::init( void )
 {
+    _lightnum = 0;
     _ambient.set(0.05f,0.05f,0.05f,1.0f);
     _diffuse.set(0.8f,0.8f,0.8f,1.0f);
     _specular.set(0.05f,0.05f,0.05f,1.0f);
@@ -61,21 +57,14 @@ void Light::captureLightState()
 
 void Light::apply(State&) const
 {
-    if( _on )
-    {
-        // note state should probably be handling the glEnable...
-        glEnable ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum) );
-        glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_AMBIENT,               _ambient.ptr() );
-        glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_DIFFUSE,               _diffuse.ptr() );
-        glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPECULAR,              _specular.ptr() );
-        glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_POSITION,              _position.ptr() );
-        glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPOT_DIRECTION,        _direction.ptr() );
-        glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPOT_EXPONENT,         _spot_exponent );
-        glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPOT_CUTOFF,           _spot_cutoff );
-        glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_CONSTANT_ATTENUATION,  _constant_attenuation );
-        glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_LINEAR_ATTENUATION,    _linear_attenuation );
-        glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_QUADRATIC_ATTENUATION, _quadratic_attenuation );
-    }
-    else
-        glDisable( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum) );
+    glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_AMBIENT,               _ambient.ptr() );
+    glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_DIFFUSE,               _diffuse.ptr() );
+    glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPECULAR,              _specular.ptr() );
+    glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_POSITION,              _position.ptr() );
+    glLightfv( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPOT_DIRECTION,        _direction.ptr() );
+    glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPOT_EXPONENT,         _spot_exponent );
+    glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_SPOT_CUTOFF,           _spot_cutoff );
+    glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_CONSTANT_ATTENUATION,  _constant_attenuation );
+    glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_LINEAR_ATTENUATION,    _linear_attenuation );
+    glLightf ( (GLenum)((int)GL_LIGHT0 + _lightnum), GL_QUADRATIC_ATTENUATION, _quadratic_attenuation );
 }
diff --git a/src/osgPlugins/dw/ReaderWriterDW.cpp b/src/osgPlugins/dw/ReaderWriterDW.cpp
index 0ad3f809f..92c110e08 100644
--- a/src/osgPlugins/dw/ReaderWriterDW.cpp
+++ b/src/osgPlugins/dw/ReaderWriterDW.cpp
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ public:
         opacity=1; specular=0; specexp=0; fname="";TextureWidth=1; TextureHeight=1;
         ctx=NULL; tx=NULL; id=0; dstate=NULL;colour[0]=colour[1]=colour[2]=colour[3]=1;
         bright=halfIn=halfOut=falloff=0;atyp=NONE;
+        _lightnum=0;
     }
     ~dwmaterial() { }
     void settexture() {
@@ -135,14 +136,15 @@ public:
         fname= (buff+13);
         fname+= ".tga";
     }
-    LightSource *makeLight(const Vec4 pos) {
+    LightSource *makeLight(const Vec4 pos)
+    {
         Light *lt= new Light;
         Vec4 cdef;
         cdef[0]=cdef[1]=cdef[2]=0.0f; cdef[3]=0.0f;
+        lt->setLightNum(_lightnum++);
         lt->setSpecular(colour*bright/2.0f);
         lt->setDiffuse(colour*bright/4.0f);
         lt->setAmbient(cdef);
-        lt->on();
         if (atyp==NONE) ;
         else if (atyp==INVERSE_DIST) {
             lt->setLinearAttenuation(1.0f);
@@ -174,6 +176,7 @@ private:
     float bright,halfIn,halfOut,falloff; // light brightness
     Image *ctx;
     Texture *tx;
+    int _lightnum;
     StateSet *dstate; // used to represent the dw material in OSG
 };
 // structure to use as data for tesselation
diff --git a/src/osgPlugins/osg/Light.cpp b/src/osgPlugins/osg/Light.cpp
index 4d10c4fb5..d6af02c9f 100644
--- a/src/osgPlugins/osg/Light.cpp
+++ b/src/osgPlugins/osg/Light.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,16 @@ bool Light_readLocalData(Object& obj, Input& fr)
 
     Light& light = static_cast<Light&>(obj);
 
+    if (fr[0].matchWord("light_num"))
+    {
+        int lightnum=0;
+        if (fr[1].getInt(lightnum))
+        {
+            light.setLightNum(lightnum);
+            fr += 2;
+            iteratorAdvanced = true;
+        }
+    }
 
 #define ReadVec4(A,B) {  \
     if (fr[0].matchWord(B) && \
@@ -96,6 +106,8 @@ bool Light_writeLocalData(const Object& obj,Output& fw)
 {
     const Light& light = static_cast<const Light&>(obj);
 
+    fw.indent() << "light_num " << light.getLightNum() << std::endl;
+
     // Vec4's
     fw.indent() << "ambient " << light.getAmbient() << std::endl;
     fw.indent() << "diffuse " << light.getDiffuse() << std::endl;
diff --git a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
index 67fcc8b67..bc28e03a8 100644
--- a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
+++ b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ void SceneView::setDefaults()
 
     _lightingMode=HEADLIGHT;
     _light = new osg::Light;
+    _light->setLightNum(0);
     _light->setAmbient(Vec4(0.00f,0.0f,0.00f,1.0f));
     _light->setDiffuse(Vec4(0.8f,0.8f,0.8f,1.0f));
     _light->setSpecular(Vec4(1.0f,1.0f,1.0f,1.0f));
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ void SceneView::setDefaults()
     
     // enable lighting by default.
     _globalState->setMode(GL_LIGHTING, osg::StateAttribute::ON);
+    _light->setStateSetModes(*_globalState,osg::StateAttribute::ON);
     
     // enable depth testing by default.
     _globalState->setMode(GL_DEPTH_TEST, osg::StateAttribute::ON);