MTH Traffic Lights Installation On Layout

Never got a response, so I ****ed the torpedoes....... I couldn't figure a good way to fasten them with screws or brads, so I came up with this. I drilled out a yellow wire nut to run the wires through and pressed it into a 1/2" hole in the masonite sidewalk, leaving just enough to set the mast on. The wire nut is a snug fit for the base of the pole. I ran the wires through a piece of shrink tubing to get through the 2 1/2" thickness of the base and pushed the pole on the wire nut. I'll use 4 wire phone cable to connect to the controller, which worked with 12 vdc on the bench. Need another rain to get it wired.

John, thats a great solution!  Turned out looking great!

Very good, and clever, solution.  I just installed traffic signals at one of my intersections and ran into a similar problem.  My traffic lights came from We Honest (China) and the controller came from East Coast Circuits (Rhode Island).  The traffic lights are LED's and are mounted on a 4mm threaded post.  I drilled a 4mm hole in my sidewalk (masonite) and added a 4mm flat washer to attach the post to the sidewalk.  I then drilled a larger hole through the table to accommodate the diameter of the nut.

The two headed signal was $8,99 for 2; the single head signal was $6.99 for 2.  The controller was $20.  For $36 and some engineering, I am satisfied.  I still have one two headed signal remaining for another corner.

Very nice looking, Dan. Now my problem is that I only have 2 pair of signals and another "T" intersection, so I need to buy another pair. I may try your method for a little variety. Thanks for your addition.

John ,I have one question do these MTH traffic lights work automatically ,or is there a switch that you turn on & off,i see that you mentioned an on ,off switch on the board is this the one to operate the lights? ,& also how much voltage is required to operate the lights ?  Thanks for your help .

There is a controller that can operate four lights in the right sequence for an intersection. The instructions say 14 vac, but I hooked it up to 12 vdc and it worked fine. 

I used this traffic light controller:  http://www.galakelectronics.com/VG-303.htm

I was going to order one pack with 2 single lights & put them at two different locations ,would the controller that shorling mentioned be easy to hook up ?,& is there an on -off switch involved ? ,any other places i could order a controller ?

If you are using MTH lights they come with a controller.

John H posted:

I'm working on my little town and streets. I'd like to see some examples of the traffic light placing. Do they look better on the near corner, or at the far crosswalk? 

IIRC they are supposed to be where you stop. Placing a second set across the street adds visibility but they want you to stop at the first signal before the intersection.

Steve, Yes i will be ordering the MTH lights from Nassauhobby ,i hope the instructions are easy to understand .  Thanks to all for your help.

A quick question about these traffic lights ,i assume that once all the wire's are hooked up that as soon as the transformer is turned on the lights will start working, am i correct about that ?

Gerald Marafioti posted:

A quick question about these traffic lights ,i assume that once all the wire's are hooked up that as soon as the transformer is turned on the lights will start working, am i correct about that ?

Yes.  They plug into the MTH controller.

Gerald Marafioti posted:

Steve, Yes i will be ordering the MTH lights from Nassauhobby ,i hope the instructions are easy to understand .  Thanks to all for your help.

The wiring instructions can be found here:  https://www.mthtrains.com/site...ction/30as17168i.pdf

Steve thanks for the information ,i put my order in yesterday i will print out the instructions ,just in case there aren't any with the lights .

Gerald Marafioti posted:

Steve thanks for the information ,i put my order in yesterday i will print out the instructions ,just in case there aren't any with the lights .

Keep in mind that the controller just changes the lights.  It doesn't control traffic and I suspect the controller outputs are only sufficient to drive the LEDs and may not support driving additional functions.

I am not sure what you mean by it may not support driving additional functions ,if it just changes the lights ,that's all i am really looking for ,i assume you can control the time when changing from one color to the next ,at least i hope you can & what do you mean that it doesn't control traffic ?,sorry for all the questions i have never seen one of these in operation .

Received my MTH traffic lights today ,what size wire should i use to hook them up, i may have to run maybe 15' to 20 'for one of the lights ,20-22 gauge maybe?

They are only LED’s, so there is very little current.  I would use whatever small wire I had on hand.  If you have to buy, it might be easier to use telephone station wire (used for alarms also). It has 4 leads in a single jacket.  You can find it in any of the big box stores, maybe Walmart.

If you don't have to access the on controller, I would location the controller near one of the lights.  You would only have to run wires to the other light.

Steve ,that is exactly the way i was thinking ,i only have one color of 22 gauge wire, i am going to order 30' rolls of 6 different colors & then i will have all the colors that i need ,Amazon has it for  $13.00 ,it is good to have extra wire on hand ,i do have some other 22 gauge wires but the colors don't match & i want it all to be the same .

MTH wont give me the real deal look. Too modern, reminds me of Miami.

I like these...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-way...3:g:qzkAAOSwAdhcXJZX

Gerald Marafioti posted:

Steve ,that is exactly the way i was thinking ,i only have one color of 22 gauge wire, i am going to order 30' rolls of 6 different colors & then i will have all the colors that i need ,Amazon has it for  $13.00 ,it is good to have extra wire on hand ,i do have some other 22 gauge wires but the colors don't match & i want it all to be the same .

22 gauge is fine for extending the wires between the controller and the LED traffic lights.

Gerald Marafioti posted:

I am not sure what you mean by it may not support driving additional functions ,if it just changes the lights ,that's all i am really looking for ,i assume you can control the time when changing from one color to the next ,at least i hope you can & what do you mean that it doesn't control traffic ?,sorry for all the questions i have never seen one of these in operation .

I have mine working for over seven years now, they are sequenced just like the real ones, I'm not familiar with any adjustments on them. You will like them.

Gerald Marafioti posted:

I am not sure what you mean by it may not support driving additional functions ,if it just changes the lights ,that's all i am really looking for ,i assume you can control the time when changing from one color to the next ,at least i hope you can & what do you mean that it doesn't control traffic ?,sorry for all the questions i have never seen one of these in operation .

Regarding "not support driving additional functions" -  For example if you wanted to control actual traffic sync'd to the traffic lights you would need trigger signals to stop and start vehicles.  Chances are the MTH controller outputs are not capable of providing the electrical current necessary to operate relays coils for example.  You would have to determine the current output capability of the MTH controller and design your circuits accordingly.

Steve,i ordered the wire & i should have it in a couple of days ,now i understand what you mean,i won't have to worry about moving vehicles .

Clem K, Thats what i really care about the most ,just seeing lights changing makes me happy.

Thanks to all of you for your help,i will post when i get them hooked up & working {  I hope} .

I use the MTH traffic signals and install them twisting off the base and drilling a small hole about 1/4" deep and then a smaller diameter hole to allow the wires to pass through.  I didn't want holes in the accessory sidewalks so I put the posts in the road but you could just as easily put posts in sidewalks.

Traffic lights installed ,the hardest part was pulling all 4 wires through to the controller on the other end of the layout ,in the first photo i used the wire nut to secure the light to ,just as John had done ,but for the second light i just used 2 small brads & some hot glue & it worked just fine ,the controller is under the layout in the first photo. Now what to do next ?