I just received some O gauge track I won on ebay. One of the curves has the inner rail insulated from the crossties like the center rail. I am very new to this hobby and was wondering why this is? The same inner rail also had solder on the side where a wire may have been attached.
Simply put, the insulated rail, triggered by the train, was likely acting as a powered switch [as in toggle switch].
When the train with its non-insulated wheels and axles hit the insulated rail, the hot rail transferred rail power through the non-insulated wheels/axles
to the insulated rail, which activated an accessory’s switch with railpower which had traveled through the wire that was soldered to the insulated rail.
The actual lower voltage, externally powered, accessory [that the railpower switched on ]could well have been road crossing gates or something similar such as crossing lights,signal lights, etc. Probably an inexpensive relay of some type was in the activation circuit.
Hope this helps!
In order to work that insulated rail will also need insulated pins. These are available at your train dealer. As explained in the previous post the train wheels provide a path to ground and activate whatever is connected to that rail.
Right Steel Bridge, thanks, I forgot the rail gap or insulated pins in the insulated rail at each end of the section. Been a long time since I used one—Command Control ruined me[|)].
Are these tracks purchased this way or did someone take it apart to insulate the inner rail? It looks like it would be a lot of work to take it apart. Thanks to all.
Lionel offered O-31 insulated curve sections (“OCS”) and straight sections (“OSS”) from 1946-50. Apparently people preferred to make their own; insulated track sections weren’t re-introduced until 1993. Even then, only straight insulated sections were (and still are) offered, both O-gauge and O-27.