dibber25 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Visit to Miniatur Wunderland has LED (sorry!) me to think about lights and signals for the layout. Any suggestions for HO scale signals (ready to use pref - not kits) suitable for lineside use (not on a gantry/signal bridge) and which work correctly for Canadian practice? CHRIS LEIGH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted October 26, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 26, 2012 Chris: What era? The last decade has had a major changeover in signal heads -- the searchlight with changing lenses has been replaced by a traffic signal type, with, I think, LEDs. I think BLMA makes some of this type, but possibly just on bridges and things. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Chris, Have you tried NJ International? See: http://www.njinternational.com/hoscale.htm Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Working from photos I have ordered a couple of signals - one with three searchlight heads and another with two three-aspect heads. The searchlight heads have three-colour LEDs but the instructions are incredibly basic, brief, so badly printed as to be virtually illegible, and don't really tell me what I need to know. It tells me the three different resistors that I will need but not what sort of switch or switching arrangement I should use. Clearly intended for someone with a full understanding of electronics (which I don't have). Its a nicely built signal with good scale appearance, though. CHRIS LEIGH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 The kind of switch or arrangement you use is going to depend on what you're trying to do with your operation. A signal with 3 vertical lights is basically an interlocking signal. Often the 3 lights aren't strictly needed in terms of all the permutations of what they could show (if all heads can theoretically show 3 colors, that's 9 possible indications right there -- but the most important is going to be just 3 reds, "stop and I really mean it".) Right there you've got several possibilities for modeling. They start with just mounting the signal with no current going to the lights -- acceptable especially if the indications aren't visible from the aisle anyhow. Then you've got the possibility of illuminating the lights -- if the signal is protecting the end of the world on a shelf layout, just 3 reds powered are perfectly fine, too. In those cases, no switches or relays or whatever needed at all, and the signal is basically just scenery. And again, the types of track arrangement a 3-vertical light signal would protect wouldn't necessarily be practical on most model layouts. Another possibility would be the 2 lower heads always showing red, the top one showing just red or green based on track occupancy and/or switch position. In that case, the red/green option could be driven by the relay contacts on a switch machine, by an SPDT toggle on the layout fascia, by a track occupancy detector, or some combination. If you know what your track arrangement is going to be, some of the people on the forum might be able to give you more specific advice! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted November 1, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 1, 2012 Chris: the 3-head signal will have to be placed near some complicated trackwork with a speed limit through the turnouts. My old operating rules show 9 variations possible -- 3 more if you have an "L" plate on the mast, one more if you can provide a flashing yellow. Interestingly, all the signals have at keast one red light. (I posted the 1962 rules somewhere on the site. The Canadian Trackside Guide contains the modern version.) If the 2-head signals have both heads on the same side, they're interlocking. If opposite sides, it's block signalling, sort of home&distant. But I've no idea how to wire it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 While I'm by no means a CP expert, I have the impression that CP used the three-head signals in situations like CTC control points governing simple siding entry, where other railroads would have used a two-head signal (someone might be able to clarify this or correct me). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I've kept on thinking about the use of the three-vertical-target style signals. As I said above, I believe the CP used them in situations where other railroads would have used two vertical targets (such as a CTC control point). Then I began to remember my days railfanning the Boston & Maine in the 1960s, and I pulled out a video, and I realized the B&M was the same way. For instance, they had a crossing between two secondary lines, the Central Massachusetts branch and the New Haven line to Lowell, protected by this style of three-target signal. It was a simple crossing of two single-track lines with the simplest of interlocking arrangements, yet it had the 3-target arrangement. I don't believe either the B&M or NH branches had any CTC or block signals otherwise. That means that in that situation, the only indications (as far as I can figure out as a layman) would have been three lights all red (stop and I mean it) or green at the top and two reds below (proceed). The two reds would simply have meant this is an absolute/interlocking signal. Then I remembered some notes I took of the B&M arrangement at Northampton, MA: This was the B&M Connecticut River line, with the junction in the upper center being, on one hand, the far end of the New Haven Canal Road diverging to Williamsburg without any signals, while the B&M CTC signals protected the B&M junction with the Central Massachusetts branch toward Amherst. In this case too, the three-vertical-light CTC signals are used, where I believe many other roads would have used two-target CTC signals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 The 'instructions' proved even less help than I thought! They refer to four wires (white - , red, green, yellow, + for the 3 colours). In fact, the signal has 9 wires, three each of white, red, green, and no yellows. I eventually realised that you get the yellow by powering both red and green at the same time. But why put in an instruction sheet which is SO unhelpful? I now have a print-out of the CROR signal aspects, so I am beginning to learn what its all about. CHRIS LEIGH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Chris, Can you tell us who the manufacturer is, please? I've re-read the thread and I'm sure that I haven't missed it! Many thanks, John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Chris, Can you tell us who the manufacturer is, please? I've re-read the thread and I'm sure that I haven't missed it! Many thanks, John E. I'll check it out. Haven't got the details with me. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice product, it just assumes a level of knowledge that I don't have. I struggle with electronics, particularly when it comes to things like calculating resistor values - I was a dunce at maths and only just scrapped the lowest GCE grade. CHRIS LEIGH Edit: I've looked it up. Advanced Rail Systems. Bought through E-bay. Excellent quick service from the USA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.