Working crossing gates on the WR&N IV

Look carefully at the lowered crossing gate: it has lights on the arm. And they work. That's one way to get some wide-eyed stares from visitors.

The gate itself is a brass NJI product. After stripping off the original paint, I modified it to accept a wire actuator rod that slides up and down within the short pole to which the arm is mounted. Next, flea-sized leadless LEDs were soldered to the arm, oriented so that they flash alternately just the way the real ones do; extremely fine wire scavenged from an old turnout solenoid was soldered to the other LED connection pads and secured to the back of the arm with CA.

The arms are raised and lowered by a Tortoise switch machine running on about half of its normal voltage to slow it down. Gravity lowers the arm, and a spring-loaded lever raises the arm by gently lifting the actuator rod. The switch machine contacts are used to energize the flashers such that they start flashing before the arm begins to drop, and continue flashing until the arm is fully raised, just as it happens in real life.

The flashers mounted to the scratch-built overhead gantry are more conventional LEDs connected in pairs such that 1 Hz alternating current makes them flash. The entire assembly can be removed from the layout so that it can be kept in a safe place while I'm doing something potentially harmful, such as cleaning rail. Click the images along the left for larger views and more construction details.

The Volkswagen waiting patiently for the train to pass has working headlights and tail lights (at night, the headlights shine on the moving train—a startlingly realistic effect). The lights are made from short bits of fiber optic material coupled to microbulbs with shrink tubing. The bulbs are powered via metal pins that extend down from the tires into connectors embedded in the street; not only does this improve appearance (no visible wires or fiber optics), but it also facilitates removal for cleaning and repair.

Click the images along the left for more detailed information on some of the many crossing flashers I made for the WR&N.

Image specs: The top image is not a photograph but instead a frame grab from a Hi-8 camcorder tape. The close-up photographs along the left were captured with a Canon 20D digital SLR.

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