Flashers

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Sorry to keep wearing out this board, but man the info is pretty darn good! Can’t beat experience!
OK, here’s my next juvenile question. I’d like for my crossing signs, which have two red bulbs, old Lionel stuff, to flash alternately. I’ve hooked them up using the little metal shoes I’ve made, and several other methods, none of which really do what they should. I know Walther’s makes several, which one am I after? Someone said one of them will do 3 signs at once. Does anyone know the model number or name of one that will work? Thanks much, Jake
(No relation to Fred Bear, only a great admirer of the greatest archery company to every make a bow. Charlie Kroll, Fred’s son on law, was a very dear friend of mine and gave me many of Fred’s personal items. Charlie fished one of my bamboo fly rods)

2

Fred, if you feel realy daring, “Easy Electronics Projects for Toy Trains”, David E. Greenwald, Kalmbach Books has a design for building your own flasher circuit. This isn’t a bad book to have if you like to tinker with electronics for trains. It gives a number of easy projects that I’ve taken ideas from to create my own.

3

Thanks much, I think I have it coming in the mail with a Blue Comet I purchased from Ebay. I hope the train or the book works! At least one of them! Jake

4

David Greenwald’s book certainly is worth having - start saving your plastic microwave dinner trays.[;)]

If you don’t feel daring, you can purchase the flasher circuit board used in newer highway flashers. The part number is 610-2760-300; it should be available from Lionel service centers or direct from Lionel for $8.70 plus shipping. The wiring schematic is shown on page 14-4 of Lionel’s Service Supplement #27 (available online at Lionel’s website).

5

If I remember right, both lights come on and stay on while the crossing gate is down. I am not sure if you will be able to get them to flash alternately without some major surgery on the accessory. The highway flasher, on the other hand, can be made to flash in a prototypical manner by using a flasher circuit. You might want to think about that before you build your flasher circuit.

George

6

I don’t want to tell you what I thought this thread was about when I first saw the subject line…

7

How do I find the Service Supplement on the Lionel website? I can’t seem to locate the information. Thank you.

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  1. http://www.lionel.com/CustomerService/Findex.cfm
  2. Click “Parts List & Pictorial Diagrams”.
  3. To get Supplement 27, click the down arrow by the “Choose a Supplement” box, click “Supplement 27”, then click “GO”.

I’ve downloaded and saved all the supplements. Some of the files are large, especially Supplement 1-9, so it can take a long time.

9

You’re right, a #262 Automatic Highway Crossing Signal would require some delicate surgery to get the flasher to work. The two lamps are wired together in parallel; they would have to be rewired to receive separate signals from the flasher circuit. The procedure is outlined in a segment by Joe Stachler in the video Toy Train Review Number 12. Unfortunately, this video is long “out of print”.

I interpreted Jake’s description as that of the #154 Highway Signal, which does not have a crossing gate. The two lamps have separate hot sources and are ready to receive the two hot signals (red wires) from the flasher board. Wires would be connected as follows:

  1. Terminal 1 of the #154 to the black (neutral) wire from the board and the neutral lead from the transformer (or leave terminal 1 empty and connect the black wire directly to the transformer neutral).
  2. Terminal 2 of the #154 to one of the red wires from the circuit board.
  3. Terminal 3 of the #154 to the other red wire from the board.
  4. Yellow wire from the board to the appropriate hot lead from a transformer (the same one that provides the neutral). Recommended voltage is 14V.