Looking for an electrical flasher and bell dinging sound for NJ crossing signal?

Evans has a wig-wag circuit that has a slow flash and comes with red led's.  If you want the sounds I just ordered a board from Wholesale Trains.  Haven't gotten the sound board's yet so I can't speak for their quality.

dick

The NJI company makes an alternating lamp circuit for their products.  It's on the website on the 0-scale crossing page.

Before you start taking the signal apart, you might consider testing the lamps with a low-voltage supply, to see if they really did wire the two lamps in parallel. I have a suspicion that maybe each wire is for one of the two lamps, and that the base of the signal is the return. Use your ohm meter to check continuity between the base and each of the wires, before energizing anything.

For sounds check out ittproducts.com.  There are a few to chose from. You can listen to each one as well as view the instructions.

This Lionel one with the broken posts has the electronics, wig wag and bell you need.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-L...;hash=item487ae2ec0f

Custom Signals has a grade crossing flasher (GCF-1). It has the prototypical slow on/off. And 6 detector inputs for 2 tracks and the option for either 2 or 3 detectors per track. Clubs and those that want more prototypical action use the 3 detector per track option.

     Arthur When I got them home from the show I tested them with A 9 volt battery and hooked the 2 wires to the + & - of the battery and both of the lights lit up and stayed on. I planed on taking the lights out to put in red LEDS so they last longer than the bulbs. Thank you everyone for the info. I am going to look up the sites all of you suggested and figure out witch products to buy. Take care Choo Choo Kenny

That test does not prove my theory. Consider that if the two lamps have a common return, and you put voltage across the two hot leads, that at that time the two lamps are in series, and will light up.

Using an ohm meter (or a 9-volt battery) from each lead to the base, as I suggested, will prove if the base is the return, and that the two lamps have their own hot leads.

I could be wrong...it's been known to happen.

This may seem to be a moot point since you intend to rewire them, but you can save wiring and mental anguish by using the base as the return. It requires fewer wires through the mast, and makes the installation a bit easier.

     Arthur I checked with A 9 volt battery + to 1 wire and - to the housing and no lights. I tried with the other wire and no lights again. Then I tried + to 1 wire - to other wire and they both lit up like the first time I tested. Choo Choo Kenny 

     cjack I liked your idea of the Lionel $10.00 used crossing and I am going to buy it. I have never bought anything off of ebay before. Is it possible to just buy the product or do I have to (bid) on the item and if someone (bids) $0.01 higher they get it? Thank you for any advice! Choo Choo Kenny

I'm fairly certain that there were crossing gates in the mid 1950s

When I was a little kid in 1950 I had to walk across the New York Central 4 track mainline and the crossing gates (4 of them, 2 on each side) were manually operated by a guy who sat in a little shanty.

You have to bid. It usually works better to bid at the last 10 seconds. Your bid is a maximum. Bids go in increments depending on how high the bid is. I think they start at the increment of a quarter of something...and go up. Your max bid has to be high enough at the end to make the increment at the time. 

Probably decide what it's worth to you and put in a bid (max) and don't let anyone else's bid reevaluate the worth of the item to you. Waiting until the almost end helps to not raise anyone else's max.

Generally, NJI products are very well detailed and accurately modeled. I'm surprised that they cheated and wired the two supposedly independent lamps in parallel. Oh well...learn something new every day.

     cjack thank you for the info on the crossing that was for sale on ebay. I don't know what I did wrong but according to what I was reading on the computer it said I was the highest bidder. When it was over it said I had lost that someone had out bid me. I don't understand how I could have been the highest bidder until the last second and did not know anyone else had bid? I guess I will just order A new one and tear it apart. Take care Choo Choo Kenny

Kenny, you were "sniped"; i.e. a pre-planned, computer generated bid at the last moment authorized by an Ebay member through a third-party whose business is to do exactly that.

     Carl thank you for the information. I guess ebay is not very honest the if that is what they let happen. Just my opinion! Take care Choo Choo Kenny

I thought about mentioning that, but you have to put $15 or so into an account to use one of those programs. So they are only if you are going to do a lot of ebay. They charge 1% and deduct it from your account. What snipe does is enter a bid at the last few seconds, it just saves you having to be there. And since it bids at the last moment, your max bid doesnt run the price up during the auction. I guess the sneaky part is that other bidders are lulled into thinking one value when your value is much higher at the last second. Not exactly unfair since you have to pre-enter a max bid that can outbid the others. I have used snipe and just bid what i would think its worth to me and lose more than half of what i try on. The value to me is just not having to monitor the auction and if i get it, good, if not, then fine...someone valued it more than me.

http://ittproducts.com/

click on this highlighted sight

Alan

Why not buy a Lionel 140 banjo signal and modify it to your purpose of the wig wag signal then purchase the sound board as someone mentioned earlier and you would have exactly what you wanted with realistic effect!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html...stText=&_sacat=0

Alan

     I just made my first successful bid on ebay for A Lionel RR crossing. I don't think I did to bad I got it for $76.32 + shipping witch is less than full price. Thank you everyone for your help and take care Choo Choo Kenny

     Just letting all of you know I got the crossing on the mail yesterday and it was BROKE! I wish this black cloud that keeps raining on my head would let up for just A couple of days.  The first RR crossing sign was broke and both lights were broke off the pole. the second RR crossing sign was broke in two places the pole was broke off above the lights and one of the lights were broke off the pole. When I contacted ebay the seller responder in just A few minutes and told me to return it to him for A full refund. I think he knew that the RR crossing signs were broke before he sold them to me (just my opinion). Well it is back to ebay to see if I can find another one for sale. Take care Choo Choo Kenny 

Kenny,

I have this Dallee flasher unit that I probably will never use. It does not have sound and I'm pretty sure its never been used. If your interested send me a email.

 franktrain