Slow working Rail Crossings?

[ac4400fan]

I have an idea i would love to share with everyone,,I was thinking of a slow working ,crossing,when the gates go down or up.lets say so to speak ,like the real one's, if you took tortoise switch machines,that are ment for slow switch ,movement, y not convert em to rail crossings ? as in back agin ,,new to the hobby, ive sen this ,machine in modelrailroader,several times,and im not so sure we have real good crosssing's, i know theres,alot of ,trck side, ones a genaric,crossings but how about building ,somthing thats clos to real? usingthe slow motion switch control,motor,can we convert it to a crossing,with track side sencers? what a breakthrew,if it can happen ,would love someore insight,[8D]

[WSOR 3801]

Look up Model Railroader Feb 1995. Should be an article about slow motion gates.

[fmilhaupt]

Circuitron makes a number of components to adapt Tortoise motors for just the kind of animation you describe.

While we haven't built any crossing gates using these parts, we use Tortoise motors and Circuitron "L" cranks and pushrod tubing on the Operations Road Show layout to animate the working train order signals (semaphores) on our layout. You can find a presentation my brother put together on how he did this on the Operations Road Show web site at http://www.railsonwheels.com/ors under "Building DCC-Controlled Train Order Signals."

They look pretty slick when they are moving slowly up or down.

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-Fritz Milhaupt
Web Guy, Operations Road Show
http://www.railsonwheels.com/ors

Run on our layout at Cincinnati Limited 2005, July 3-9, 2005!