I have a number of grade crossings on my layout that should be protected by flashers but I am a little intimidated by the potential cost. Based on products I have looked at, between the flashers on both sides, controllers, and detectors, it seems you could easily drop a hundo or more on just one crossing. Throw in a pair of crossing gates and a Tortise to control them and it gets real pricey. Am I overestimating the cost or are there combinations of equipment that would let me get it done for less. One thought I had was to forgo the detectors and operate the flashers with a manual switch. Has anyone done that and how practical would it be.
For now, it's just simple crossbucks and my HO drivers will just have to be very careful.
Yes, when you start installing complicated electronics circuits the cost is going to go up. In order to have halfway realistic crossings, you need crossbucks with miniature LEDs in them. Good crossbucks are made of brass and are going to cost $40 each or more.
You have to have a detector / flasher module of some type to operate those crossbucks. These range in price from $50 to $60 each for a commercial circuit board such as the Grade Crossing Pro from Logic Rail Technology. If you have a double track mainline you need two controllers.
And you have to have the actual detectors -- for a good system you need 4 of them. If you have a double track mainline you have to double the number of detectors.
Operating crossing gates are also brass and are expensive, plus the Tortoise or other motor and all of its linkages to make them move.
And some of them require a dedicated 5 Volt DC power supply.
So, in a nutshell, equipping a road crossing with the Grade Crossing Pro, brass illuminated crossbucks from Tomar or NJ International, brass crossing gates, a Tortoise motor and linkages, a power supply, and all of the necessary detectors can run in the neighborhood of $200 per crossing.
And you're also going to wind up with a real tangle of wire under the layout for all of this. If the crossbucks have four LEDs in them, there will be five wires to connect and each LED needs a separate resistor.
I've been looking at the same thing. And yes, if you buy everything it's not cheap. I'm thinking about home brewing my own flasher circuit using either a 555 timer or a collector coupled transistor multivibrator. For detection I'm looking at IR LED's and photo transistors from All electronics. For a single grade crossing you only need one flasher circuit to flash all the LED's. I'm thinking of going whole hog and putting red leds on the crossing gates them selves as well as on the crossbucks.
As far as skipping the detectors and going for manual operation, it's perfectly feasable. And it gives an assistant (say a small child) something to do.
I'm looking at a Bachman plastic crossing gate toy, wondering if the gates and crossbucks are worth kitbashing from. They are somewhat oversize to my eye but maybe they would do.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
jecorbett I have a number of grade crossings on my layout that should be protected by flashers but I am a little intimidated by the potential cost. Based on products I have looked at, between the flashers on both sides, controllers, and detectors, it seems you could easily drop a hundo or more on just one crossing. Throw in a pair of crossing gates and a Tortise to control them and it gets real pricey. Am I overestimating the cost or are there combinations of equipment that would let me get it done for less. One thought I had was to forgo the detectors and operate the flashers with a manual switch. Has anyone done that and how practical would it be. For now, it's just simple crossbucks and my HO drivers will just have to be very careful.
South Bend Signal Co. offers flashers and flasher / controller / detector packages at reasonable prices. I use one of their controllers to operate a pair of Walthers cantilerved grade crossing flashers. For now I just use an off-on toggle switch. For under $40 you can get two of their flashers and a controller. If you want to add detection, it will cost more, but well under $100 for the whole package. Go to www.sbsignal.com.
John Timm
Hi!
I have noted the same thing, in that getting grade crossings protected in HO is an expensive and difficult (to those not so inclined) proposition. This is sad as the sound and sight of crossing gates and crossbucks when a train goes by is really something that all can relate to.
Ok, here is what bugs me about this....... I was a Lionel nut in the '50s and today have a decent collection. Lionel had the operating crossing guards and crossbucks and wigwag signals back then and while they were toylike, they did a reasonable job. Why can't an Athearn or Walthers or MRC do something similar today? Or for that matter, why can't we have reasonably priced signaling as well?
Please understand, I am not knocking the "highpriced" stuff from NJI or others, I am just saying that there should be something available at a lesser price. Actually, I suspect there would be a good market for it too!
FWIW,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I agree that for proper scale and quality it does get rather costly.
Tomar as suggested does offer a great product. http://www.tomarindustries.com/signals.htm We use them at the club. The crossing/ gates have been installed but are only controlled by a toggle. (detection is in the process of installation)
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
These grade crossings were dirt cheap. they are the bachmann cheapo plastic grade crossings (~$2 for 10). I drilled out the red lens that come in them, added LED's ($.50 a piece) and wired them with magnet wire ($10 for a 100' spool) and 1K resistor for each LED ($.01 each) and repainted them with silver, black and white. I painted the signs completely white and came back afterwards with a sharpie to bring the letters back out. So for Each signal head it was about $2.00 per grade crossing signal. the electronics underneath however were more expensive. I have a double track main that they are protecting. I had to make a small modification to the circuit. The circuits I used is the FL-2 ($22.95) and DT-4 ($39.95 I believe) by Circuitron. the FL circuit generates the flashing. the DT-4 circuit does the detection. I modified the DT-4 so that it the lights would come on only when the photocells were covered so that direction does not matter. the modification I made basically replaced two of the photo cell inputs with resistors and then I just installed the 4 photocells on just two of the inputs. So far it worked really well for my double tracks.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
You can save a lot of money if you don't use detectors to control the crossings. Just install a simple switch for the train or tower operator to control the crossing.
Bogp40,
NICE overpass scene!!!! It looks very real, with the greenery on the concrete and the "not so neat" greenery on/near the track right of way!
Like it was said, the biggest cost is the detector system. I tried photo cells in the past and had bad results because of the room lighting. I checked on using infared, but again they are costly when you need four per track. Right now i'm researching using proximity switches and wondering if they will be cost effective.