Working Crossing Gates on the Modern DT&I

Note: this video is well over 10 years old on a layout that no longer exists. There will be a new version of this video here sometime in 2024. Thanks for watching! -Shaun
We finally have an operating set of crossing gates on the DT&I! Thanks to a tip from my friend Christopher Muller, I used thread to link up the gates to the tortoise switch machines instead of the supplied piano wire. Since the gates from NJ International are counterweighted to go down on their own, the thread works perfectly to pull them back up. I wired up a Tortoise for each gate, and they had to be directly in line with the access hole in order to get enough swing. The rest was left up to the Grade Crossing Pro-IR from LogicRail Technologies. You can read more on their website - LogicRailTech.com.
Enjoy 2 SD45T-2s pulling a manifest through the newly operating gates!