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WillM3luvTrains — Lighted Non-Operating Crossing Gates and Signals

Published: 2016-01-30 11:08:14 +0000 UTC; Views: 1826; Favourites: 5; Downloads: 0
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Description This is mostly for my fellow model railroaders, future model railroaders, and even model railroad crossing signal manufacturerers. Recommended Download!

But I have up some illustrations of HO scale crossing gates and crossing signals used on or for model railroads. These signals are from the following companies:

Bachmann Industries
Lifelike Products (bought by Walther's)
Tyco

These are pictures of semi-operating or non-operating crossing gates and signals from those three companies. What I mean by semi-operating, those are the ones that have gates that lower by pressure on approach and occupancy of train, but only the gates work. Non-operating are the devices where even the gates don't move by themselves or are not train-activated, you have to lower and raise them yourself by hand unless you know a way to make them go up and go down.

Most of these crossing signals and gates exist, although some of them are discontinued and no longer manufactured, but some of these I made up and don't exist but I hope someday they do. More on that later.

But these are supposed to be pictures of these non-operating crossing gates and signals lit with actual lights. Or retrofitted with actual lights, namely L.E.D.s. And it's not just the crossing signals that get lit up but also the crossing gate arms that get lit up too. This is to see what these signals would look like or be like if they were to have L.E.D.s installed on them and if they could be made to work. Admittedly something like this has been done, at least to some of these signals and some non-operating crossing signals have been turned into operating signals. What I'm yet to see though are these types of crossing gates with lights/L.E.D.s mounted on them (the arm part, not the signal part).

And I made this picture to promote and encourage model railroaders who use these crossing gates or signals whether by choice or maybe until they an afford the more expensive-yet-operational crossing signals made by NJ International, Tomar Industries, Model Power (well, MRC now, www.modelrectifier.com/ click Model Power and scroll down) Oregon Rail Supply, Details West, etc. Also because I would like to see these signals and gates lit for real. I mean, some people have put lights on their NJ International crossing gates and I can give you two examples:

-HO scale 1161 crossing gate signal with black and white A-type gate fitted (likely by the model railroader himself or herself) with L.E.D.s for the gate arm. i.ytimg.com/vi/yHkUpmoC-9s/max…
- N scale red and white crossing gates fitted with actual lights layoutdynamics.com/signal-syst…

Anyway, I have the signals labeled with numbers so you can see which is which, although if you own model railroad and are no strangers to these crossing gates and signals, you'll know what's what and what I'm talking about.

Crossing 1 is supposed to be a Tyco crossing gate, item 908 . To see a real actual Tyco crossing gate, www.ho-scaletrains.net/tycoact… It's a single crossing gate signal and has an inverted crossbuck and a black and white gate arm. There's also a black STOP ON RED SIGNAL sign below the lights.

Crossing 2 is a Bachmann Dual Crossing gate and the gates are supposed to be automatic. In other words, the gates go down automatically when the train comes to the crossing and presses down on a trigger that serves as a crossing for cars to cross the tracks safely on like in real life. The crossbucks are White with black lettering (R15-1) and the gates there are also black and white. Now this is not limited to conventional track, this also applies to EZ-track. I had crossing gates like this.

While there are these types without flashing lights or bells, there were some that did come with flashing lights and bells, only the lights didn't flash alternately, each signal was lit with one bulb you insert in the hole in the back of the signal and when certain triggers are activated, the lights flicker or flash in unison really fast and the bells are a high-pitch sound but comes with the noise of the motor that makes the lights flash and bell ring.

Examples of such crossing gates:
web4.hobbylinc.com/gr/bac/bac4… (note, N scale)
farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2…
web4.hobbylinc.com/gr/bac/bac4…
www.popscreen.com/prod/MTgwNzE…
farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2…

Crossing 3 is supposed to be the Lifelike Products Dual Crossing gate (they also did single crossing gates). This includes for conventional track and the Power-Loc tracks. The crossing has black and yellow striped crossing gate arms and like the Tyco crossing gate signals, the signals have inverted crossbucks and inverted STOP ON RED SIGNAL signs. The crossing also comes with an extra crossbuck sign that is about if not exactly 45 degrees and has a hexagon-shaped sign below that says "Caution." The other sign is a black sign that says in white letters "RAILROAD CROSSING STOP LOOK AND LISTEN"

Examples of such gates
www.euromodeltrains.com/trains… (Single crossing gate on conventional track)
web4.hobbylinc.com/gr/lif/lif8…
www.tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/…

Number 4, these devices don't exactly come with a crossing, you have to place them at a crossing, or basically anywhere you want on your layout, or even use these with non-electric train sets if you want (I have). But this is supposed to be Bachmann's non-operating crossing signals, and they come in white. Only the crossbuck is decorated with black lettering and the lights are imitation lights, which can be replaced with L.E.D.s but you have to paint the signal yourself. It also comes with a movable but non-operating black and white crossing gate. And these are your examples of such:
shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.…
shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.… (Larger image)
hobbymasters.com/bachmann-ho-s… (Note: hence the x6 next to the items because you'll usually get six of those signals and six of those gates at once.

You can also light these signals up (but you still have to color them yourself) i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjA…
www.ebay.com/itm/Lighted-Flash…

Please note that the red and white versions of those gates do not exist. I wish they did and would like for them to and I even talked it out on the Bachman Forum www.bachmanntrains.com/home-us… but I'm yet to get a response from anyone. If these gates ever do get produced in red and white, I might consider buying some.

ADDED January 30, 2016, To see what the Bachmann Movable gates could look like if they were red and white instead of black and white, click this link, but note, the gate arms don't have any kind of lights on them. willm3luvtrains.deviantart.com… (END UPDATE)

Number 5 is kind of like number four, these are also Bachmann crossing gates and signals using the same kind of gate arm as in Number 4, except this comes with an actual crossing that you can place anywhere on your straight tracks (best used on conventional track, not track with roadbed.) And the signals come colored but no, they don't come with real lights, you have to, and can if you want to, add them yourself. Also these do not come with railroad tracks, you just get the crossing pieces, the signals, and the gates.

Example www.hobbylinc.com/bachmann-roa…

Converting these non-operating crossing signals to working signals: modeltrainsonline.co.uk/2013/0…
modeltrainsforbeginners.com/mo…

Number 6 This is also from Bachmann and these are like Crossing 2, except the gate arms are red and white striped. They come in green grass form and in winter form. These are your examples:
www.buildarailroad.com/product…
bigchristmastrains.com/all_sea…
d2ydh70d4b5xgv.cloudfront.net/…
www.pinterest.com/pin/30019313… (Winter version)
www.bradfordexchange.com/produ… (Winter version)
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/7… (Winter)

Number 7 is much like Number 5, except, like Number 6, the gate arms are red and white striped and also like the red and white gate in 4. But this also doesn't exist but can if Bachmann would make them.

Number 8 is a gate-less non-operating crossing signal made by Lifelike Products. It has a gray crossbuck, a black 2 Tracks plaque and below the wanna-be flashing lights which don't flash unless you make them, a gray rectangle-shapd sign that says STOP. They come in pairs and also come with non-operating railroad block signals, a pair of tall signals and four dwarf signals.
www.pinterest.com/pin/22166223…
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/7…

Number 9 is also a Lifelike crossing signal and it too is non-operating. These come in a set of four. Examples:
www.trainmaster.ch/images/LL-S…
cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/13631…
www.walthers.com/prodimage/043…

I also wanted to add the Athearn crossing gates to this picture but unfortunately I ran out of room, which is why I tried not to make these crossing signal and gate illustrations too big. But these are what they look like:
www.ho-scaletrains.net/sitebui…
ho-scaletrains.net/sitebuilder…
ho-scaletrains.net/coxtrainsre…
www.ho-scaletrains.net/sitebui… (package)
ho-scaletrains.net/id71.html


So you see, these are all non-operating, well, non-lighting crossing signals, at least in reality. However, that doesn't mean these signals cannot be lit. The fake lights can be removed and replaced with L.E.D.s so that the signals can light up if the model railroader wants to make them do so and some people have. I'm not sure you can make the Athearn crossing signals light up though, maybe can.

But this isn't just to promote and encourage turning non-flashing railroad crossing signals into flashing crossing signals, but also to put lights on your gate arms be them the Bachmann gates, the Lifelike gates, the Tyco gates, the Athearn gates, even the NJ International gates and Tomar Industries gates or whatever gate you use. And I'm reminding Bachmann Industries once again to consider making red and white versions of their non-operating crossing gates, which once more I mean these www.trainz.com/images/Product/…

Just something I would like to see be done.

If any of you ever decide to light up your non-operating signals and light up your gates and then take pictures of them, my request to you is to post the pictures here on Deviant Art, on Shutterstock, on Flickr, or on your personal website, please and if you don't mind. No video is necessary but is welcome as long as it's not on YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Video, I just prefer not to visit those websites or see videos through those websites.

Non-operating signals to operating signals, everyone.

Thanks for looking and for reading. And if you want you may use, copy, and repost my picture and use for your reference. In fact as I kind of said earlier, I recommend you download this. Just please remember to credit me for my work. Thank you.
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Comments: 3

WileE2005 [2018-07-03 13:31:32 +0000 UTC]

Nice! I may attempt that with my TYCO crossing gate.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Nolan2001 [2016-01-30 21:13:43 +0000 UTC]

Good Work.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

WillM3luvTrains In reply to Nolan2001 [2016-01-31 06:31:57 +0000 UTC]

Thanks. Thanks for taking the time to look at this, I'm glad you like it.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0