Gateman fails to open automatically

Bama,

Do you have the remote switch and the activation track set connected at the same time?

In other words, don't do this:

Instead do this:

M.H.M

Mellow Hudson Mike - A picture's worth a thousand words!  

Thank you Hudson Mike!  Problem solved!

Lemme know where to send this beer.

Hudson Mike,

My gateman does not have a three-pin pigtail, as it is a post-war version. Do you have a suggestion to mate the three wires from the accessory  to the track? Thanks. Mark

Barrister,

This method of connection, i.e. the Fastrack activation trackset, provides power to one or two circuits.  Your postwar gateman (No. 145?) most likely has only one, but there were at least two versions of it.

Can you look at it and see if it has two binding posts/fahnstock clips for electrical connections?  Or does it have three?  This will tell us what we need to know in order to proceed.

Mike

I can chime in on this, I recently had a issue but mine was with using a plug n play signal bridge. I was getting all types of advise and with no luck. Getting super aggravated I chucked the activation track across the room…. Not my finest moment… but it landed upside down. It never clicked , but Lionel manufactured the track with the silver tab connecting the rails thus making the split rail isolation block into. Long story short check to see if Lionel removed the rail tab.  I purchased 4  of the activator track pack and three of the four of them were manufactured wrong.

Michael,

Thanks for the info.  This sort of thing seems to be happening more and more.

It looks like each of us ought to add a manufacturing QC check to our debugging processes, as step number 1.  It looks like it might save a lot of grief.

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

It looks like each of us ought to add a manufacturing QC check to our debugging processes, as step number 1.  It looks like it might save a lot of grief.

Mike

That should really be the manufacturers job......no?

Mellow Hudson Mike - "It looks like it might save a lot of grief."  And Beer!

Rick,

Absolutely.  But it appears that they're too busy with more important things prior to shipping out the product.

Good situation?  Definitely not.

Can we live with it?  We have to.  Unlike so many other markets, i.e. automobiles, personal electronics, housewares, appliances, etc., there's not enough competition left anymore in our market for any one player to use quality as a competitive advantage.  They can get away with poor quality -- and they are getting away with it.

Mike

This method of connection, i.e. the Fastrack activation trackset, provides power to one or two circuits.  Your postwar gateman (No. 145?) most likely has only one, but there were at least two versions of it.

Can you look at it and see if it has two binding posts/fahnstock clips for electrical connections?  Or does it have three?  This will tell us what we need to know in order to proceed.

Mike

Mike, My 145 has three clips. Mark

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Bama,

Do you have the remote switch and the activation track set connected at the same time?

In other words, don't do this:

Instead do this:

M.H.M

I have the polar express gateman. Is there any reason /need to use the 3-pin pigtail as the gateman male connector connects directly into the activator track jack? I note also the wiring on the Fastrack activator is NOT as indicated in the polar express gateman instructions for use with the activator track. Should I just make the wiring connection changes ( I also have different color wires than thoes noted in the instructions) or does using the pigtail (if required) change the need to make the wiring changes? Thanks!