light system for "turnouts"

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I have just about finished a nice 4 x 12 layout with around 12 turnouts. Now I would like to have some type of signal to tell me in which direction they are facing. I know I could look at the swith on the board but a light would be nice.

I use “Atlas” components. tracks, turnouts and switches.

thanks

pontoonman

2

http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1023141/ShowPost.aspx

There is lots of info re: this if you use the search tools

keywords to query:

atlas led switch

3

With all Atlas, I’d go with small relays. What you need is a DPDT (double-pole, double-throw) latching relay. I bought small DC-powered ones for a few dollars each on-line. They are small, and will require some soldering to make the connections. They look like this:

For these and the twin-coil switch machines, I use a capacitive discharge unit. I just wire the relay up in parallel with the twin-coils. Note that this particular relay is DC, and will not work on AC. Also, the polarity of the DC signal is important on the relay, but it’s not for the switch machines.

Atlas makes a relay unit themselves. It works on AC or DC, just like the switch machines, and it has screw terminals for wiring. But, it costs 3 or 4 times what the relays do.

4

Hint: you’re supposed to put the pins on the device THROUGH the holes of the perfboard [:D] [:D] [:D] [:D] [:D]

–Randy

5

If you look carefully, the DPDT switch is not designed for perfboard mounting - If there are little holes in the contacts, it is supposed to be direct-wired. The contacts are too large to fit and not spaced properly to be inserted and mounted on perfboard. Can you say “square peg in a round hole”?

MisterBeasley, thank you and carry on. Don’t mind the smart gluteus maximus.

6

Thanks for the support, Eric, but Randy is right. I used the perfboard here as a photo prop. These relays actually do have the holes spaced right for this perfboard. In this case, I didn’t use a perfboard, but I did a couple of other installations where the perfboard was the right way to go. There’s nothing else in the circuit nearby, so the board wouldn’t have helped any.

How’s the little one, Eric? Getting used to diapers yet?