Lionel Billups CROSSING GATE QUESTIONS

I am not familiar with the Lionel Billups CROSSING GATE. It is very complex since it gets a signal from the left and from the right and shows the direction of the train. This means that in your layout, you must setup many third rail sgnals. It does not matter what kind of three rail track you use or what equipment you run. It does require that all third rails are using one common wire. This should be standard, either one transformer or all transformers are fased. Click here for the Billups Crossing Gate user manual.

Thank you very much for the reply John. Can you please elaborate and also send me a sketch of how I can make the additional third rail components. Again thank you very much for your reply. Jerry

@Jerry A posted:

Thank you very much for the reply John. Can you please elaborate and also send me a sketch of how I can make the additional third rail components. Again thank you very much for your reply. Jerry

I cannot do a sketch showing how to wire your layout unless you give me a sketch of your layout. Your sketch should show the area with the three tracks including what brand, Gargraves, tubular, or FasTrack. The crossing gate will be FasTrack for at least 20". The gate comes ready to be activated 7.5" from the center of the crossing. Most people want more warning than that so the manual explains how to do it. Indicate in your sketch where you want the crossing to be activated, on the left of the crossing and on the right of the crossing. And on the parallel track, show where you want the left and right activation. And on the third track running very nearby, show where you want the left and right activation.

Also, do you need instruction on insulated track and insulating pins on various brands of track? I do not know everything, so we need to define the scope of what you need elaborated.

Hi John, hopefully I can make this a little easier. I made a bunch of Lionel tubular post-war insulated track up a while back. Can I use these for activation? I would like to activate the Billups in both directions o the three tracks with cars on them. I would like to locate the Billups where the Lionel banjo signal is at now. Can you advise what to do or you need further information. Thanks a lot, Jerry

It looks like you are trying to fit too much function into too little space. That crossover in the middle has thrown me for a loop. Because the Billups Crossing requires a left and a right sensor, I have no idea what would happen if you separated those two sensors with the crossover. I suggest that you spend a lot of money and experiment, or reduce the scope of what you are trying to do.

Yeah, I have a lot of fun screwing around with the layout and even more than running trains. If I do screw around can I use the insulated tracks I made several years ago as potential parts to experiment with? If the insulated tracks are usable can you advise basically how to use them and save me a lot of trouble. Again I just like to go around with the layout. And Michigan weather will be getting worse by November so I'm just planning ahead. As usual, thank you very much, Jerry

Your insulated section of track is unpowered in one of the outside rails because it is insulated from the opposite outside rail AND it is insulated from the adjacent rails with either insulating pins or an air gap. This unpowered outside rail receives power if and only if an axel completes the circuit when it travels over that section of track.

I know all the above but I am wondering if I can use my insulated tracks that I made up to work with the Billups on another adjacent separate parallel track line so if a train is on that set of tracks it will trigger  the zBILLUPS with its unique configuration of my homemade insulated tracks. This way I have possibly the BILLUPS  TRIGGERING the one track line it is on so my model automobiles would be warned no matter what track the locomotive is on. I just wonder if I can use my insulated tracks to work on the Billups signal. Thanks again for your replies, Jerry okay