Switch controllers

[Anonymous]

As I begin wiring my layout, I am faced with wiring controllers for my switch. My layout is entirely using O-27 switches ( O-27 or O-42) but I only seem to have on hand O-gauge controllers (everything is leftover equipment from my dad's layout, and I got the box with the controllers that were obsoleted when we hooked up TMCC control on his switches)

Being that I mean to work with what I have until I later upgrade to TMCC, I have a couple questions...

I presume that these controllers will function okay, is this correct?

Is there any way of wiring these so they will light the way they would with the O-gauge switches? Anything that can be lighted should, I always say! [8D]

[wrmcclellan]

Will,

I do not have one handy to test with, but I am pretty sure the 0-22 controller will operate the 0-27 switches just fine. The middle wire on the 0-22 3-wire flat cable goes to the ground/common lug on the switch which I believe is the one closest to the switch motor housing. You will have to experiment with the other two wires to get the controler to match the switch direction and light when it is thrown.

Regards,
Roy

[GPJ68]

The other thing to remember is that O27 switches are track powered, so the lights won't come on (or the switch operate) until the track receives an increase in power from the transformer to run a train. O22 O guage switches can be powered separately from the track, so the lights could remain on (and the switch operate) when the track was not receiving any juice to run a train.

I believe the only way to get the controller lights to stay on when using Lionel O27 switches would be to dig inside the switch and modify it to run off separate accessory power (like O22's). Not the easiest thing to do IMHO, but do-able, as has been described in several previous posts. Perhaps someone else has a good link to one of those previous posts.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I've already done that on just about every O-27 switch I have... I guess I just didn't know that the lights on the O-22 controllers would actually work. (Never tried it)

[lionelsoni]

Unfortunately, both lights will stay on. The 022 switch disconnects each coil after the switch throws. The controller lamps are wired across the controller contacts so that only the lamp wired to the coil that is not disconnected will light. The 1122 switch leaves both coils connected all the time, so both lamps will be lit all the time. The older 1121 switch had a single lamp in the controller. The controller handle moved a shutter that exposed only one of the colored lenses. This was satisfactory because the switch did not have the non-derailing feature and so presumably was in the position last commanded by the controller.

[Anonymous]

I like hearing about the mechanics of some of these kinds of things that maybe don't get the glory of things like the Hudsons or F-3's... But does all this apply to the *** Kughn era Lionel stuff? That's what I'm working with. I'd always assumed that it was basicly the same, but I have to wonder because I'm not sure this sounds like the same workings of what I have.