Merry Christmas! We got my 6 year old an O gauge steam train from MTH and are using FasTrack. Trains have come along since I had that finicky HO scale when I was a kid.
I’m trying to wire up an older block target signal that used the weight of the train to switch from green to red when the train ran over it. After we initially bought the block target signal, I brought it back to the store, realizing the pressure switch wouldn’t work on fastrack. The salesman told me all I needed was a fastrack accessory activator to make it work. Deferring to the expert, I bought the activator and took the BTS back home with me. Bushwah! The activator will turn one light on, but does nothing to let me switch from red to green. I tried my best, but can’t figure it out.
Anyone care to educate me? I’m a fast learner and my son and I would appreciate it a heap!
Thanks,
Dean
I will assume that the accessory activator is just some track with an insulated outside rail and that your signal is the 153.
Connect the 153’s red-light terminal to the supply that you are using (perhaps the center rail). Connect the 153’s green-light terminal to the (non-insulated) outside rails. Connect the 153’s center terminal to the insulated outside rail. Then connect a number 57 lamp (or two number 53 lamps in parallel) between the red-light terminal and the center terminal. These will light up when the red lamp does. You can hide or cover them; or use an accessory, like a floodlight, that has several lamps in it for this purpose, if you don’t mind its lighting when the signal goes to red.
Lionel states to use the 153 IR with fastrack.
Looks like the 153 IR is the easy ticket.
Bob, just curious…what is the #57 light for (or 2 #53’s in parallel)?
Thanks,
Dean
The two signal lamps are wired in series. So, when the train is not present, of course both will light, albeit dimly. Putting the extra lamp(s) in parallel with the red lamp unbalances the circuit, giving most of the voltage to the green lamp and very little to the red one. When the train is present, the red lamp and the added lamp(s) all get full voltage; and the green lamp is shorted out.