Wiring traffic lights, street lights, signals, etc.,

[claymore1977]

Fielding #1, by the 'letter of the law' for amperage on a wire gauge, check this link:

http://therustyspike.hyperphp.com/BE101/awg.html

 And use Column I.

 If you are going to run a single LED that draws 20mA (0.02A) then you could drop all the way to 32 gauge if need be (dependant on Voltage on the wire and the length of wire).  Using the suggestion for 22 ga shows that a 22 ga wire can handle 920mA (0.92A) or, in theory, 46 20mA LEDs. 

#2: Answered with a question:  Are the signals equipped with Bulbs or LEDs? 

#3: This depends on your desired control scheme.  Using the following picture:

3.A:  If you want all the lights to be controlled simultaneously, aka all ON or all OFF, then a simple SPST toggle/pushbutton wired in series between the 'battery' (aka universal DC power source symbol) and point A.  This will allow you to run only two wires (red & Black) from the switch/pushbutton at the controlpanel to your load(s).  In the case of the picture, the loads are the 3 14V bulbs.

3.B:  If you want to control the lights individually, then there are several options available.  I will detail the simplest:  Referring back to the given picture above, you would have to install SPST toggles/pushbuttons between Point A and Bulb A, Point B and Bulb B, Point C and Bulb C.  This is 3x the number of toggles/pushbuttons than 3.A and depending on the scale at which you are planning your signal control, this could be a significant cost increase!  Additionally, since the toggles/pushbuttons will be housed in a control panel, this means that instead of the 2 wires that ran from the control panel to the load in 3.A, now we have a minimum of 4 (3 from the switches to the loads and 1 common return).

3.C:  If you are using diodes, then perhaps a polarity reversing scheme might work for you.  The following two pics are how a DPDT switch can control 2 LEDs with only 2 Wires:

4:  How much wire is included with the signals?  I would cut the wires right in the middle and use terminal blocks near the signal and also near the switch.  Then perhaps use some 4 conductor cable (telephone wire) to connect the two terminal blocks.

[tomikawaTT]

I'm close to deciding what lights to put on the layout. I've collected a good number

of track signals, traffic lights, street lights and some lighted buildings/towers.  It seems

that I have 4 questions:

1. What 'gauge' wire is used for these assessory items ?

For typical LED or microbulbs, #22 should be adequate.  If your signals are working semaphores, the motors might require heavier wire.

2.  Do you route them all back to an Atlas 'connector' type of switch ?

    Are there strip connectors that have multiple connector junctions where you

    can hook up to more than the Atlas type that has the 3 on/off sections ?

I route them to homemade terminal blocks (#6 machine screws through plywood.  One nut holds the screw to the plywood, another holds as many wires as necessary to one terminal.  Make them with as many terminals as you think you might need.)  Then they are connected to a master lighting panel with banks of cheap slide switches.  My lights run off a variety of low voltage transformers, all plugged into a single 120 volt multisocket surge protector bar with an on-off switch.

3.  Do you just connect them all to a feed wire or two and then back to the switch ?

Depends on whether you want your railroad and traffic signals to operate.  A full description of an operating Automatic Block Signal system, or the intricacies of an interlocking plant, are a bit beyond what I can try to put into a post.  There have been numerous multi-chapter articles written on the subject.

4.  I have a few traffic lights or track signals that have the 3 or 4 position switches. It

    seems that you need to cut and reattach the connecting wires if you want to mount the

    control switch more than 2 inches away......Seems that cutting the small wires is

   a sad way to work with them. What am I missing here ?

What's missing is any sign of good sense on the part of the manufacturer!  Apparently, they are expecting you (a serious model railroader who doesn't want unprototypical objects adjacent to the device being controlled) to treat their product like a piece of toy train scenery.

The solution is to cut the wires, solder each one to a length of #22 wire long enough to go where you need it, then make very sure you insulate the solder joints from each other.  The best thing to use is heat-shrinkable tubing (aka spaghetti,) available at any electronic parts vendor.

Much thanks for any help & suggestions 

Hope this has helped.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Traintraveler]

I'm close to deciding what lights to put on the layout. I've collected a good number

of track signals, traffic lights, street lights and some lighted buildings/towers.  It seems

that I have 4 questions:

1. What 'gauge' wire is used for these assessory items ?

2.  Do you route them all back to an Atlas 'connector' type of switch ?

    Are there strip connectors that have multiple connector junctions where you

    can hook up to more than the Atlas type that has the 3 on/off sections ?

3.  Do you just connect them all to a feed wire or two and then back to the switch ?

4.  I have a few traffic lights or track signals that have the 3 or 4 position switches. It

    seems that you need to cut and reattach the connecting wires if you want to mount the

    control switch more than 2 inches away......Seems that cutting the small wires is

   a sad way to work with them. What am I missing here ?

 

Much thanks for any help & suggestions