Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the site and will start with a question. Is it possible to extend an outside insulated through a fastrack automatic switch? I'm building a 6.5 x 10 layout o36 figure 8 in the center 048 outside loop with a passing siding. I want to have few buildings (town?) in the circle of the figure 8, and I'm envisioning a road crossing right near the o48 outside loop switch.
-rog
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Welcome to the forums Rog-
To answer your question, to my knowledge you cannot run an insulated block through the switch due to the moving frog, but as a workaround connect a jumper wire between the insulated rail on the tracks adjacent to the switch, thus continuing the insulated block. You might also need to ensure the switch itself is insulated from the insulated rail, as it could inadvertently trip the circuit.
-John
John,
Thanks for the reply. Pretty much what I feared. I'm wondering if I can have the insulated rail on either side of the 048 switch and have the crossing signals look decent. In other words...I think a train will be long enough so that before the last car clears the 15" switch there is sufficient train on the other side to continue the ground for the crossing signal.
-rog
Rog-
Absolutely you can wire the two insulated rails together. Another idea would be to use a combination of the insulated block and a 12v DC spst relay for more reliable operation. If you opt to go with the relay, you can add an optional capacitor into the circuit, which will keep the gates activated for a few seconds after the train passes and also eliminate jerky operation caused by momentary breaks in the circuit.
A great start to learning more about using relays to control gates (and more) can be found here.
Good luck!
-John
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