Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Switch for 3 way Signal

5011 views
19 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Westchester NY
  • 1,747 posts
Posted by retsignalmtr on Saturday, March 16, 2013 11:12 AM

Check out this website  www.brian-lambert.co.uk/

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • 2,314 posts
Posted by don7 on Friday, March 15, 2013 7:49 PM

Try these, they are ON-ON-ON switches,

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/180436865915?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

I have these set for a number of red-yellow-green signal lamps.

They are manual, but hey they work. Will keep looking for some automatic boards, but until then...

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Colorful Colorado
  • 8,639 posts
Posted by Texas Zepher on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 1:12 PM

NIKOLAI
Will it be possible to get a diagram?

Arrange the any of the lights in any way.  That is, any of these lights can be any of the colors depending on what the desire is for how the switch is flipped. 

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • 2,055 posts
Posted by farrellaa on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 11:20 PM

Just use one of these 3 position rotary switches, at only $.85 each and a simple wiring schematic.

   -Bob

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/RSW-50/ROTARY-SWITCH-2-POLE-3-POSITION/1.html

Life is what happens while you are making other plans!

  • Member since
    September 2007
  • 90 posts
Posted by RetGM on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 8:02 PM

 Let's try something simple:  Use two DPDT switches.  DC or AC power to the center of the first DPDT, with one side connected to the GREEN Signal.  Connect the other side contacts to the center of the second DPDT.  Wire one side of this switch to your AMBER Signal, the other pair to the RED Signal.  Now just apply the logic of GO, or SLOW or STOP on the first switch,  (Maybe having the GREEN selection in the upper switch position)  and on the second switch, choose the AMBER signal in the top position and the RED on the bottom position.  With this setup, only one lamp may be lighted at a time,  and you can line up two lamps of the same color in parallel to give both track-side and control panel indications.  Sorry I can't transmit drawings, but hope these words are helpful.  JWH

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Omaha, NE
  • 10,621 posts
Posted by dehusman on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 5:20 PM

Mark R.

You could even use a simple rotary switch.

That would take all the fun out of it.  Why use a solution that would cost only a few bucks and take 10 minutes to wire, when you can have a more complicated solution that will be way more expensive and take much longer to build?

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: Northeast
  • 746 posts
Posted by GraniteRailroader on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 5:17 PM

My suggestion would be to use a rotary style switch with numerous positions. Depending on the specific signal (is it a single head with 3 colors?) you could potentially use diodes from the extra positions to trigger a red over green, yellow over red, etc.

This space reserved for SpaceMouse's future presidential candidacy advertisements

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 4:18 PM

Here I am again with the Socratic Method, asking questions to hopefully arrive at a better answer.  Well, I was forced to take Philosophy in college, not much, mind you, but I have had very little use for that knowledge and it's nice to know it wasn't a total waste of time.

So, what do you really want this signal to do?  Is it, like The Lion's current signals, just there for photo shoots?  Do you plan to manually operate it, like an old time switchman with lanterns or ball signals?  Or, do you really want it to be, well, a signal, one that tells you something?  And, do you care what it tells you?

I use my signals as turnout position indicators.  I wire them to show green when approaching a properly set turnout, and red otherwise.  Alternately, I'll use the position of another turnout further down the line to further refine the information using the yellow light.  These aren't necessarily prototypical, but they do make the lights change in response to something real on the layout, and that's really what I'm more interested in.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: North Dakota
  • 9,592 posts
Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:46 PM

retsignalmtr

Lion, I have operating signals on my home layout and some T-Trak modules. I use relays from allelectronics that are DPDT and plug into 16 pin IC sockets mounted on PC boards. The relays are only $1.50 per so if I need more contacts I just use another relay as a repeater. My circuits are mostly the same as used by the NYCTA for the automatic signals but slightly different for the home signals.

Yup, that would of course work too. When I build these circuit boards I will use 1/4" wood with nails as binding posts. Circuit BOARDS, get it. At least I would not need to buy 30 circuit boards as well.

Here is my signal circuit. See if you can figure it out!

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Ontario Canada
  • 3,574 posts
Posted by Mark R. on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:26 PM

You could even use a simple rotary switch.

 

Mark.

¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Westchester NY
  • 1,747 posts
Posted by retsignalmtr on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:20 PM

Lion, I have operating signals on my home layout and some T-Trak modules. I use relays from allelectronics that are DPDT and plug into 16 pin IC sockets mounted on PC boards. The relays are only $1.50 per so if I need more contacts I just use another relay as a repeater. My circuits are mostly the same as used by the NYCTA for the automatic signals but slightly different for the home signals.

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Westchester NY
  • 1,747 posts
Posted by retsignalmtr on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:08 PM

Who are you asking for a diagram?

  • Member since
    November 2012
  • 16 posts
Posted by NIKOLAI on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:04 PM

Its for a friend, sorry!

  • Member since
    November 2012
  • 16 posts
Posted by NIKOLAI on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:03 PM

Thanks

Will it be possible to get a diagram?

Thanks,

Nikolai

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Colorful Colorado
  • 8,639 posts
Posted by Texas Zepher on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 12:57 PM

NIKOLAI
Is it possible to power a red/yellow/green signal with a dpdt center-off switch

The short answer is, of course.  There are three things to power and three switch positions. 

How?

One way (as there are many)

Connect power to the lamps to the center of one side of the DPDT.    Connect the outside two connections to two of the lamps.   This is the normal light one or the other arrangement. 

 Now for the 3rd lamp, get a SPDT relay.  Connect the power for the relay to the center of the other side of the DPDT.   Connect BOTH of the outside contacts from that side of the DPDT to the relay.  This way if the switch is thrown to either "ON" position the relay is on.

Finally connect the third lamp to the normal-off (or relaxed) SPDT contacts of the relay.  When the relay is off the lamp is on and vice versa. So when the DPDT switch is thrown to light one of the other lamps this one will go off. 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: North Dakota
  • 9,592 posts
Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 11:18 AM

All electronics has 4 pole 3 position slide switches. LION uses these for his signals. They do not function automatically, but can only be set for photo shoots.

LION will be automating his signals and will be using 4PDT relays in series with each other, and thus will control signals and will block trains from starting against a red signal. Problem is that the LION will require 30 such relays at $4.00 each, so him will not ask the Abbot for that money until September, because he will not need them before then. LION has already figured out the wiring scheme for these.

LION will be using a gapped section of track for detection. If you are using little locomotives with limited power pick up it will not work, but LION uses 48 wheel pickup so him seas no problem.

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Westchester NY
  • 1,747 posts
Posted by retsignalmtr on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 5:45 AM

I don't believe it will work with just the DPDT switch. An SPST switch controlling a small relay (Radio Shack has them) will light the red and yellow aspects (Red with switch off and Yellow with switch on) A second SPST and relay controls the green. The wire to the Yellow bulb goes through the second relay. So it would work this way, first SPST off (Red), first SPST on (Yellow), second SPST on (green). Only one aspect lights at a time.

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Chi-Town
  • 7,712 posts
Posted by zstripe on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 4:35 AM

NIKOLAI,

If it's possible, could you give a little more info,on the type of signal lites they are? Whether they are LEDS our incandescent!!  That will help more..

Cheers,

Frank

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Chi-Town
  • 7,712 posts
Posted by zstripe on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 4:17 AM

NIKOLAI
Is it possible to power a red/yellow/green signal with a dpdt center-off switch? How?

NIKOLAI,

The only way I can think of at the moment is to have one more switch, a spst, a on and off switch to the center two terminals on the dpdt center off switch,which will... naw that won't work either,,, you will always have two lites on at once... POSSIBLY three spsts to the 3lites??   I'll have to give this more thought!!

Hopefully someone here will come up with a viable solution for you...

Sorry,

Frank

  • Member since
    November 2012
  • 16 posts
Switch for 3 way Signal
Posted by NIKOLAI on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 12:46 AM
Is it possible to power a red/yellow/green signal with a dpdt center-off switch? How?

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!