Re: grade crossing hook up

[Scott A Smiley <sc.smiley@juno.com>]

Making an insulated rail track section or several requires removing one
of the outside rails from the track sections, insulating the rial from
the tie with left over, center rail insulators and reassembling the
track.  Classic Toy trains magazine just described this process.    then
you have to use fibre pins in each end of the insulated section.   
Several sections may be required to give the gate time to get down before
the train arrives.

For one direction operation, Lionel just came out with an infrared
detector which will operate a gate.  You place it beside the track and
the train motion throws the switch.  

You can do it with two pressure plates one on either side of the gate. 
this way the gate will not come up until the train has passed the second
switch.  You want these in parallel so that either will turn on the gate.
 One wire from power, either center rail or transformer, to gate.  Then a
wire from the ground (outside rail or transformer) to each pressure
plate.  From each of these, the other terminal, to the gate.  Adjust the
screw tension so a car's weight  will complete the circuit.  separate the
plates before and after the gate so it gets down before the train
arrives.

Scott Smiley


On Fri, 29 Mar 2002 20:03:01 -0600 "Steve Wise" <swise@aoot.com> writes:
> Hi DrDanDOT (sorry:  dunno your real name):
> 
> I assume you're talking a single track?  Getting the crossing gate 
> to come
> down when a train approaches from either way?
> 
> If you want something simple, an isolated outer rail will do the 
> trick
> either way.   Hook one side of the crossing gate to the center rail 
> power,
> and the other side to the isolated outside rail.  When a train wheel 
> touches
> the isolated outside rail, it completes the circuit (because it 
> closes the
> isolated outside rail with the other outside rail making a complete 
> circuit
> and firing the crossing gate).
> 
> If you want more authenticity, read the article in the jan 2002 
> edition
> O-Gauge Rail-Roading, (Run 184 pages 108-110).  Richard Taylor 
> describes a
> way, using relays & rectifiers, to make the crossing gate come down 
> early
> enough to be realistic, and the gate goes up quickly after the train 
> passes
> through.  And it works both ways.
> 
> Hope this helps!
> 
> Steve.
> 
> PS:  I'm CCing our club membership email list 
> (ttat-members@aoot.com).
> 
> TTAT Members:  If you have other ideas, I encourage you to email 
> DrDanDOT
> directly at DrDanDOT@aol.com.
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <DrDanDOT@aol.com>
> To: <ttat@aoot.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 8:55 PM
> Subject: grade crossing hook up
> 
> 
> > help please     want to conect lionel grade crossing gate to 
> operate with
> the
> > train
> > approching from both directions  is it possible to include wing 
> diagram???
> > thanx        aol@drdandot.com
> > -----
> > ttat@aoot.com
> >
> 
> 
> ------
> TTAT members reflector.
> 

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