Block switch

Welcome to the forums!

 

The MTH signals have two wires - one for power, and one for ground. To make a block switch (aka insulated block), connect one wire to the transformer and the other to an electrically insulated rail outer rail on your track. When the train wheels roll over the insulated section, the circuit is completed and the lights will flash.

 

To enhance the reliability of the circuit, you can add a capacitor in between the insulated rail and the crossing signal. By doing this momentary breaks in the circuit will not affect the crossing's operation.

 

-John

The Track Trips at the bottom of the page work great and there's no insulated track required.

 

Susan:

I must be missing something here?  I can understand how that “track trip” (BTW a legacy American Flyer term) will turn on a light or lower a crossing gate while a wheel is in contact with it but when no wheel is in contact it will release.  That may be OK for a flashing signal but not for a crossing gate which would be continuously going up and down while the train passes.  I don't think that's what the OP wants. 

 

Bill

Gates or just flashers?

Susan,

 

I looked at the page for which you provided the link, and in addition to the 'Track Trip' segment (thank you), I looked at the 'Toggle Track Power Between Conventional and DCS or TMCC'.

 

There is a circuit diagram that shows an 'Indicator Lamp' is series between the transformer and the 'Track Center Rail'. I would have expected the lamp to be in parallel with the track power and not in series. Is the diagram correct?

 

Thx!

 

Alex

Ok so I isolate the one outside track on both sides from the crossing then hook power to pack . and the ground wires to each rail where I want the gates and lites to gome on?

Yes, in general that’s correct. 

 

But you didn’t say what kind of track you are using.  If its typical 9” or 10” long sections of track and your highway crossing is one straight track section long, then it’s preferable to insulate one outside rail on several sections in a row, INCLUDING the section where the crossing is located.  If you only insulate an outside rail on the adjoining sections of track at each end of the crossing section, then if you are running either (a) long passenger cars (with a wheelbase longer than one outside rail) or (b) any short trains like a single motorized unit (shorter than one outside rail), the gates will come down, go back up and then come back down while the train is going through the crossing.  And that cycle’s repeated for each passenger car.  Been there, done that! 

 

So instead of just insulating a rail on the adjoining tracks at each end of the crossing you might as well insulate the same outside rail on each of 3 consecutive sections, including the section at the crossing.  In effect you are making a 3-section long insulated rail.  You will only need insulating pins at each end of the overall insulated rail.  That way the gates will stay down when a long passenger car or short train goes through the crossing.  Also there’s less wiring involved as you only need to run one wire to the insulated rail!

 

HTH,

 

Bill

I use gargraves

The attachment shows flashers only.... there are no gates that go up and down. Should be 2 wires . a red and black.... Here's the tricky part.. without knowing what the power supply is   it's difficult to give a straight answer.

 

Normally the black would go to the insulated outside rail section which you can make as long as you want with GarGraves.. The red would go to the hot power supply which is  probably one terminal on your transformer.( Accessory post.) If using a separate power supply if must be phased with the track power supply.

 

Help us out.... what are you using for  a transformer?

That makes it even easier because the outside rails are already isolated from each other.  And if it’s 37” flex track then one section should be all you need to isolate one rail of with plastic pins.

 

Bill

To answer your very first question:

 

GG track, by design, has all three rails isolated. You need to be sure that the outside rails of your GG track are electrically connected, at a few points outside the crossing gate area. Then, cut into ONE of the outside rails, at two locations, creating an isolated/insulated rail section. Connect a wire to it. That is the activation wire. It will be sending a RETURN through the accessory. The other terminal of the accessory needs to be connected to a HOT terminal on your transformer.  The HOT terminal needs to use the same RETURN as does your traction circuit.  As an example, using an old ZW, all the U posts are RETURNS, and are connected together. The A, B, C, and D posts are HOTS. You might use the A-U combination for the track, and the B-U combination for accessories.

 

I'm sure that if you use the SEARCH feature on this forum, you will find many other threads where this scheme has been explained, with diagrams and in much more detail.

 

To ensure that accessories do not operate intermittently, and lamps do not flicker, many of us have switched over to DC for accessory control. DC is easy to provide. You create a main DC bus, with the same RETURN reference as the other HOT supplies, using a rectifier circuit (easy to build for less than a buck) --OR-- you obtain a small DC supply from any of a bunch of sources.  Computer power supplies, telephone system supplies, substantial wall-warts , or HO toy train power packs are just a few of the sources.  Using DC for controls gets you many advantages. The aforementioned ability to eliminate flickering using capacitors, plus using diodes and relays to operate accessories, track circuits, and signals.

I use a tech 2 power pack for lights and lamp posts. I have dcs and can use track power but I would rathereuse the powr pack. Thx for all the help!!

Bill, the length of the insulated copper strip along the track can vary according to axle spacing when needed.

Alex, the diagram is correct.  My illustration is flawed.  The indicator lamp is tied between the transformer common (unfilled circle) and the track center rail buss strip.
  Thanks much for pointing that out.  The more I look at that illustration the worse it gets.  It's on my Bad Order list to be fixed.
  May I please send you a copy of the new circuit illustration for your evaluation before I replace the bad one?

Ok ,so I almost got this figured out. I got one side working where the gates come down and the lights flash. One problem is there is a turnout in the blocked section near the crossing. Now the pic above is not this .that was the walthers ho that I had before I switched to o scale. They operate pasically the same way but the walthers had an electronic eye and when the train went over it activated the signals.. I don't have the tad relay. Its almost as if I need to isolate 2 small sections and make a contact there. Just like the walthers once the train trips once side it stays on untill the other side is tripped.also like the walthers if you reverse the polarity on the trip wires it changes the direction. These only work one way.

So these are brand new signals. It is the lights and the gates. The black and white wire hooks to the track . the other two wires raise and lower the gates so without a tad and no relay how can I rigeit b
ecaus one wire raises the gate and the other lowers them but there has to be contact till the gates cycle out. Does radio shack have anything??

You're going to need a relay or ITAD.... because the up wire and down wire must be separated so it's  one  or the other, you can't  have both wire  having power at the same time. Radio shack should have a  DC relay and you'll also need a full wave bridge rectifier to convert the AC current to DC so the relay can function. . 

dales drawing doesn't show how to wire the rectifier with the mth crossing gates. I don't want to fry anything. You got red and black to track ,black to block,red to middle rail, then white and yellow thatemove gates up and down.and I have a radio shack relay and the 4 pronged rectifier. Help me out thx

To wire the rectifier, connect the (+) and (-) leads to the corresponding (+) and (-) leads on the relay's coil. Connect one of the (~ or AC) leads to the transformer hot and the relay common, and the other (~ or AC) lead to the insulated rail.

 

-John

The relay has 6 prongs numbered 1 thru. 6. The two bottom prongs no. 7 is the common. Where is the coil. The yellow and white wire have to go somewhere.

It's 2014. Use these IR sensors and relays. They provide wiring diagrams.

Azatrax

http://www.parisiconsulting.co...grams/crossgate1.gif

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??

Wow this a pain,, I thot pecos were bad. So I had bought The wrong relay. I got the relay to work and the points to work but no power to the signals.so one side is powered does the other wire go to common??