After setting-up my Lionel Std Gauge around the tree, I needed a section of curved operating track to energize some track-side accessories. My outfit is built from pre-1930 equipment, so rather than a pressure-trip, my operating track would have one of the outer rails insulated, fibre pins in the insulated rail, and a lock-on to connect to the accessory. A train going over the operating track would complete the circuit through the wheel-sets of the car to the "grounded" outside rail.
This involves opening the tie crimps (enough to remove the rail, in my case), carefully folding some squares of insulating fibre around the rail, then carefully re-inserting the rail back into to ties, and re-crimping.
Insulating pins are needed to isolate this rail from the track sections on either side. Originally these were fibre, today they are plastic. I had none of either.
Then I remembered a comment mentioned by an older friend, from his childhood Lionel days... I will let the photos reveal the solution.
All worked well... #69 Warning Signal with Bell, # 77 Crossing Gate work fine... American Flyer station with Baggage Smasher was balky... that one might need its own pressure track-trip.
Not bad for a 1/2 hour's work.
Fran McM.
