I have these great street traffic signals, but can't figure out how to put them in the layout. The hole you have to cut in your layout top to fit through either the signal head (top) or the switch (bottom) are both much bigger than the base of the signal. I already have sidewalks (small square styrene sheets) cut and glued to the layout, and can't easily cut in a new section. But something will have to cover the too-big hole in the sidewalk I will have to drill.
Has anyone else faced this? Ideas? Thanks!
Cut the wires, then solder them back together.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Bingo
I am really sorry to hear this!
I kept waiting, hoping for a better option. But I need 20 street lights. With 3 wires each to cut, that's 60 additional solderings to add to maybe 40 I have to do anyway. I thought there was no limit to what I would do for the looks, but I just hit a limit. I'm going with non-electric traffic lights!
Marlene I am really sorry to hear this! I kept waiting, hoping for a better option. But I need 20 street lights. With 3 wires each to cut, that's 60 additional solderings to add to maybe 40 I have to do anyway. I thought there was no limit to what I would do for the looks, but I just hit a limit. I'm going with non-electric traffic lights!
Awww, don't look at it in such stark large terms - focus on one intersection at a time, getting each one working before you move onto the next one - instant payoff. :)
If it takes more than 5 seconds to solder 3 wires, you need more practice. It would take far longer to cut a bigger hole and fabricate a way to mount the signal and restore the large block to there isn't a gaping hole on each street corner. Odds are you need longer wires to reach your control panel anyway. So drill small hole, cut wires, measure off length of wire you need to read control panel, solder to traffic light end (BEFORE you feed the wire under the layout - on top, or at the workbench), fish wire in hole, bring to front, solder wires from controller back on - also not under the layout. It takes about as long as it took me to type all that.