Lionel 154 flasher on insulated track

[Anonymous]

Quick question-
I am rebuilding my childhood layout in a much bigger room. I have my old 154 flasher but cannot find the contactor. (The lights never did blink alternately with the contactor anyway) How should I wire the insulated track so it will blink like a real signal?
Thanks
Tom

[cbq9911a]

You need to get a 154C contactor, which has two short contact sections to make the lights flash. If you have a motor tool you can make an insulated section from a piece of tubular track. You need to cut the rail in four places and put it back together with insulated track pins. Then connect the lights to the insulated sections.

[Big_Boy_4005]

There really is no simple way to make them blink realisticly. The original contactor only did a so-so job of it. It relied on the wheels of the train which were not spaced evenly, to cause the blinking.

The use of electronics make modern flashing signals much more realistic. There might be a manufacturer out there who makes a circuit to control the lights.

[Anonymous]

As stated in the previous post by BigBoy, the original contactor is pretty lame. You can emlate it's function on non-tubular track (like Fast Track) by using insulated track covers. This is outlined in Peter Riddle's Wiring Your Lionel Layout Vol 2, pages 46-52. He also covers a way to use an the strips to activate a real auxiliary flasher. I believe the modern version of the 154 has the blinking circuit in the base and uses a standard conactor to trigger it. This can be easily switched to use an insulated track section for a trigger.

The old style flasher uses binding post 1 to supply power to the accessory. This would go to center rail of track or to the "hot" side of an auxiliary power supply. Binding post 2 and 3 would go to the "track " strips. These are metal foil strips about 1" long and placed on the same outside rail about 1" apart. The foil strips have to be insulated from the actual rail masking tape or electrical tape will probably work. You can get self adheasive copper foil at a doll house shop or a stained glass supply shop. Doll houses use the foil for "electrifying" the house, stained glass uses the foild to wrap the edges of glass before solderig it (Tiffany style lamps).

I'd honetsly recommend getting a modern version of the crossing signal that uses a circuit for flashing.

[Anonymous]

Burns electronics,Dallee and others make flashers for the unit. They advertise in train magazines like CTT and OGR. You would have to use an insulated rail and preferably a relay and seperate circuit. I have 6 of the Dallee and they work fine.

Dale H

[dwiemer]

I just happen to be reading a article about using a relay system to operate the 154 flasher and also a 252 gate in the January 96 CTT. I will try to scan the diagram and post later, if not, I will give the details.
Dennis

[dwiemer]

Tom,
Please see the other post for this topic. I outlined the article. If you need me to email the information to you directly, let me know. Also, with this, you don't need the contactor. This should help.
Dennis

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of the info, guys. Dennis, if you could email the info, that would be great. Thanks much
Tom

[dwiemer]

Tom,
Your email is not on your posts. If you hit the tab for my email, I will get back to you with a scanned copy.
Dennis