I have Lionel 6-14098 Mainline Auto Crossing Gates. I want to put the gates on a momentary switch rather than a 153C contactor. Does anyone have any tips as to how to wire that up? Thank you in advance.
The 153c is a momentary switch.
Use the same two wires that connect to the 153c for your (alternate) momentary switch connections.
The 153c is a 3 wire SPDT switch. To replace it, you would need a Single Pole Double Throw momentary switch with the common center terminal being connected to the same wires as the #3 terminal on the 153c. The #1 terminal wiring is connected to the NC (Normally Closed) terminal of the switch, and the #2 terminal wiring is connected to the NO (Normally Open) terminal of the switch. Here is the instruction manual for the accessory. Page 4 shows wiring to the contactor, and page 3 shows the terminal callout of the contactor.
Larry