Hi. I'm a newbie and need some help on wiring 6 lionel fasttrack remote switches. I had posted this earlier but made an error by saying the switches were manual. I have the MTH Z4000 which I will be running two trains on. My question is can I use the Z4000 to wire the switches on? Would I need another transformer? I also plan to put on a crossing gate and blinking crossing banjo at some point as well. Thanks for your time and help.
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It is not necessary to do any seperate wiring for fastrack switches. They are designed to handle command voltage/18v so they can get power directly from the track they are connected to.
Just connect them like any other section of track. Having said that, they also use a very minimal amount of power so they don't "tax" the available power for your trains. IMO,its the best of both worlds.
If your talking a fastrack crossing, it goes right into the layout like another piece of track as well.
Pay close attention to the instructions for the crossing activator track. The "breaks in the outside rail go on the same outer rail and line up with the marking on the underside of the crossing.
Follow your instructions regarding the banjo signal, it can be button activated or activated by a seperate sale activator track that is like the one that comes with the crossing.
For the most part the instructions included in any of the above are clear enough for successful installation. If you don't have them they can also be found on Lionels website.
If you still have trouble, just post here again.
Taki
Just in case:
I run my FasTrack switches (also have 6) off track power. Only wiring I did was taking apart the switch lever so i could route the wires under my table. One really big tip I strongly suggest is taking a picture of the wiring of your switch level, switch tracks and anything else. I took separated the wires from their connectors on my switch lever then realized I couldn't remember what order they had to reconnect in! Doh. Don't assume things are labeled or there will be a wiring diagram in the manual.
Also here's a link on wiring FasTrack switches for fixed voltage which could be handy when running at slows speeds with conventional transformers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0McntbmQ9I
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