How And Why To Make Insulated Track Sections
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Episode 65: Track sections with insulated outside rails can be used to switch turnouts, activate accessories, control train movements, and create many other special effects on your Lionel, Marx, or other toy train layout.
This video shows a simple, cheap, and effective way to make them.
Enjoy!
Thank you!!! I'm not very electronically gifted, so informative videos like this are a life saver
Glad it was helpful!
I'm a 31 year old and I have fond memories of my dad putting my great-grandpas set together when I was a little kid. Now I have 2 little girls of my own and found this set in the attic in shambles. After researching everywhere on how these things work, your videos have literally been the only ones that have helped to completely restore the track to working conditions. I don't have all the cool "bells and whistles" like many hobbyists, I'm just a dad who wants to see his little girls smile and laugh at a cool little train go by. With that said, I DO have one of those roadside diners and a little train horn stand. I've wired everything so that the horn goes off using a manual little switch that my daughter can push herself, the problem is that she's 2 years old so leaves the thing on, thus waking everybody up in the house at 6am haha or just frustrating everyone. I'd like to, perhaps, use this type of setup so that when the train moves over this part of the track, that's when the horn goes off. Does this make sense? Can you provide any thoughts on this?
Sure! There are several types of roadside horns, but they all work on the same basic principles. I am guessing that you indeed mean a 'horn' and not a whistle - but again, the concept is the same. The button interrupts one side of the circuit - either 'hot' or 'common' depending on how you have the accessory connected to the transformer. Wire these connections so that the 'common' is the side going to the button, but then use an insulated track section INSTEAD of the button to complete the circuit. The 'hot' side of the accessory goes to your accessory hot output and the 'common' side attaches to the insulated rail of your insulated track section. When the train wheels pass over the track, it completes the circuit and the horn activates. BUT - here's the downside - if you use a single section, it will sound more like "Ba-Baam-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Baam-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba" as the train wheels pass over. With 2-3 insulated sections together, you will get "Ba-Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam-Ba!" as the wheels pass over. Ask yourself if hearing this EVERY TIME the train goes around the loop is less annoying than the 6 am wake up call. Perhaps a better idea is connecting the railroad transformer to a power strip that is set on a timer so it's always off between, say 10 PM and 7 am. Look in the Christmas light section of your local box store. Timers are cheap and plentiful this time of the year. Happy Railroading!!
Another solution would be an old Lionel 153C or 145C contactor. These are spring-activated switches that you could adjust to only activate when the weight of the locomotive passes over but not the lighter cars (One "Baaam" per loop). But it would still sound every time around the loop. (See here: ua-cam.com/video/zZ0eifyCvvs/v-deo.html )
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks That's a great idea! Thank you! And yeah I was going to ask about the effects of only using one. Some cars are longer than others but I believe 2 would be sufficient, I'll have to do some experimenting. I always unplug the transformer from the outlet for safety reasons, so this would only be making sound when plugged in by an adult, obviously. The problem is that I'll turn it on for her and go to to work or something and hear the horn non-stop haha. I think I should just find a better way to more easily attach and reattach quickly, the horn thing which is obviously her favorite sound hah. Thank you so much for all of the advice!
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Didn't get to this reply, but YES this is absolutely perfect i think. Local train store has one of these I believe. Do you know of or heard of any online repository of track design plans? I'm trying to utilize all of the tracks I have along with the two accessories I own. I also have 2 sets of graduated trestles but because I don't have enough space to screw the tracks into place, the train regular derails on the downhill (or fails to go uphill if I lower power). Any thoughts?
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Also, as a reference, we have the old school O-27 track. Might upgrade to the fastrack considering they don't make the o-27 anymore :( or at least that's why the local train store told me
I'm just back from bypass surgery, and this is about all the excitement (and thinking) I can manage....LOL
Get better soon! Trains are excellent therapy.
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks can you do a video on touching up paint on postwar trains
@@railchief74 Hmmm. I will have to try a few techniques first. I have never done it. I will add it to my "to do" list.
Quadrupile By Pass 7 months ago and am back in the train game! Good Luck Ken!
Absolutely informative and great video my friend! You upload some of the coolest videos there great! Keep em coming I've learned quite alot from your videos! I've been into running and collecting Lionel trains for years but it never hurts to just keep learning about our hobby!
Thank you very much! I really enjoy making these and I have found that a great deal of "common knowledge" about the hobby - especially the traditional stuff - has been lost. A little bit of info can make the hobby much more fun. Thanks again!
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks oh yeah your exactly right just a little bit of info in a video helps the O Scale model railroading Community for sure! Great Videos my friend keep em coming!
Excellent! Well shot with easy to see effects of the audio description,
Thanks for the information. I use scraps of sandpaper to make my own track insulators, they work great.
Great idea!
You are a wealth of information. Thanks 👍.
My pleasure
I have a huge lot of buildings and track parts that I'm going to be selling. So I'm trying to educate myself, so I know what I am selling. I actually collect the small trains. I think they are called n gauge. It's a shame I don't have the room or space, because these old trains are my favorite. I think they are stunningly beautiful.
Offhand, I don't know of any useful price guides for N gauge trains. You might search eBay, Trainz, and other websites to get an idea of what you have.
Oh I will. I just enjoy how you explain everything. You explain in simple terms. You should be a teacher, well I guess you are. That's why you have the channel. I appreciate your knowledge and channel.
@@stevestokes4206 Thank you. I was a professional educator for many years.
I watched this with great interest anticipating you would show this in action with a semaphore or 154 flasher or track delay in action. I am a novice and I have some insulated track. Do you have a video of this in action?
ua-cam.com/video/DR_Ndh3Tyic/v-deo.htmlsi=ecbS8dt7tv9Exg_p&t=578 This is with an insulated section, but NOT with a "delay".
Thank you much .
Oh, my!
Hi I have a 44 U.S. Army Engine. It was running well then just stopped. The light comes on and it appears to try to go but doesn’t . Any idea what I can do or do you know of a place I could take it near San Diego. Thank you for your time 😎
That could be anything from a loose wire to a stuck reverse unit. I'm sorry but I don't know any specific service providers in your area.
When making two insulated tracks that join together shouldn't that be three fibre pins to make it work a diagram I'm looking at to running two trollys it shows two pieces of track joined together with six pieces of insulated paper and two fibre pins at the ends of the track sections wouldn't I need a fibre pin in the middle of the two tracks instead of three metal pins.
If you insulate both outside rails, the power is cut off so there is no need to insulate the center rail. However, once power is restored to EITHER outside rail, BOTH will be powered. I operate my Marx block signal for the Christmas layout this way. The center rail remains powered. The red/yellow/green slide switch on the Marx signal controls power to BOTH outside rails. When the switch is set to GREEN, the circuit is completed and the train runs.
Being a 'newbie' I noticed in your BW illustration you have a
Lock-On...Is this required being that this is a 'insulated' track??
If you want the insulated section to activate a signal, switch, etc, you need some means of getting power from the insulated section to the item.
I us gasket material and a paper cutter.
Thanks for the tip!
Hi Mike. I got to thinking, could we use rubber instead of paper to insulate the rail? I thought of the bicycle innertube kind of rubber, easily cut with knife or scissors. Plus it's black or dark gray in color. Would that work?
Hmmm. I guess it depends on the thickness. Thinking about the last time I changed my kids' bicycle tires, I think the inner tube might be too thick. However, along that same line of thought, latex balloons or disposable gloves might work.
Hi Mike. So I made a couple insulated track sections like you showed. But I want my 252 crossing gates to draw their power from a separate transformer (set to proper voltage). This ensures adequate power and not draw from the train transformer. My question is - can that be done? How would I wire the gate to the insulated track section? Thanks Mike!
Assuming you are using a separate transformer for power and not an accessory tap from a multi volt transformer, do the following. 1) Make sure the two transformers are in phase. 2) Wire the common tap on the accessory transformer to the common feed from your track power. You can either directly connect the common side of the two transformers or just wire the accessory transformer to the outside rail anywhere that is convenient. 3) Attach the hot side of the accessory to the hot side of the accessory transformer. 4) Attach the common side of the accessory to the insulated rail. 5) Set your accessory transformer to the desired power. The accessory pack now provides power to the accessory ONLY when metal wheels complete the circuit on the insulated rail. Viola!
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Thanks Mike. You are THE MAN!!
I got a question
Would using a section of a q tip with the cotton ends cut off work for insulating track?
Paper and plastic are both insulators, so it should work if the stick will fit inside the track tube.
Plastic fibre pins would have been so much easier.
If you use just fibre pins the circuit is still completed through the metal ties, defeating the fibre pins. You must ALSO insulate the rails from the metal ties.