I usually go to Radio Shack to get the full wave bridge rectifiers. I use ones that are rated at 4 amps to be safe. You could connect several relays to one rectifier. If you powered that relay without a rectifier, the relay might be dead now. If it still works, go play the lottery.[:D]
I enlarged the picture of the signal, There is indeed a yellow light. Looks like the signal itself may have some hidden features too.
What I had described was assuming an AC relay, and two lights. After seeing a picture of the other side of the relay, my suggested wiring scheme will not work - I guessed wrong for the common terminal. Sorry.
lionelsoni- Your last suggestion puts us back at square one. That is the schematic that the signals came with, and yet, as soon as you connect 13 to the control rail, the signal stays on red, and won’t change. Yes, the rail is insulated on both ends.
It’s got to be the control rail. With no train present, the control rail is just a piece of metal (supposedly) not connected to anything electrically. Is it perhaps crimped into a metal tie? If so, is the insulator good?
It doesn’t matter whether the track is powered. Your control rail is somehow not isolated; it is connected in some way to the other rails, either at its ends or through the crossties, perhaps. What kind of track do you have; and how did you make your control rail?
K-Line O 3-rail track, with white plastic insulator pins on each end. The track’s center rail is isolated with black paper stock between the rail and black metal crossties…blaaaack metal crossties…
[D)]
lionelsoni - I take it I now have the labor intensive task of placing some type of insulation at each tie…? This will kinda kill what I wanted to do in the tunnel area, but I guess that plan will have to change.
Bummer. Lionel does sell insulated track (6-12840), but it’s $8.99 for a 10-inch section, compared to $2.89 for the regular stuff. If you have a long stretch that you need to insulate, and particularly if it’s hidden in a tunnel, you might consider using one of the other track systems there that have plastic or wood ties.
Some Marx accessories used a brass channel with insulation on the inside that clipped over one of the outside rails, making standard track act like track with an insulated outside rail.
You could copy this using some thin (.010" or .015") brass with electrician’s tape applied to one side, then formed into a channel to fit over the rail.
May or may not be a good idea, depending on how much hidden track you have and how accessable it is, and how much fabrication you want to do.
How about an infrared signal controller? No need to mess with the track with these. Some have adjustable time delays that might be helpful. I’ve never used one, so I can’t really speak for how well they work.
Fife- I remember an article some where that created a trip section by covering a section of out side rail with insulation. Maybe electrical tape? A thin piece of brass was placed over it and was used to trigger the signal
If you are considering this you might also consider contacting Robert Grossman as he stocks just such an item that Marx used. I think there are two lengths available. One about 3 or 4 inches and also a longer one.