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Debated whether to post topic here or O gauge scenery forum.

Noticed there seems (to me) a dearth of wayside signal structures, that is signal cases or bungalows.  I tried googling several different ways, but get lots of pages for buildings, crossing signals, wayside signals, telephone shanties, telephone poles, battery cases etc.

Plasticville made a nice looking signal case for crossings, but was part of larger package of "useless" extras, and Atlas makes a nice bungalow that conceal their signal boards.  But when asked, neither company will sell those pieces outright.  I am always on the lookout for the Plasticville case to add to my layout signal locations.

Modelers of course can knock these out "in minutes".  I guess I have to assume that our crossings, interlockings and wayside signals operate by wireless magic

 

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CAM00165RRman, I Agree!! I once contacted Atlas O for some signal houses (or whatever they call them!), but Atlas O wouldn't sell them. I wonder could these signal cases be made using a 3D printer?? I wish one or all of the 3-rail manufacturers could make them as a separate sale item. What I've been doing is purchasing the old trainmaster TMCC direct lock-on, remove the electronics and use the housing as a signal structure.

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  • CAM00165: TMCC direct lock-on signal structure in picture.

Thanks RRMAN for bringing this subject to light.   I have been wondering to myself if any manufacturer makes a realistic: relay case (especially the ones with a riser and double weather head), a battery well, pole mounted DS phone, tie mounted switch contactors, etc.  These easy-to-add features make a correctly profiled R-O-W look even better.

Decades ago, Bruce Chubb (modeling HO) submitted an excellent article to MR magazine on this subject.  The article included information and photos of the numerous types of fixtures and appliances that can be found alongside ABS or CTC track. 

 

Yes there is an O scale mfg that makes single and double door relay cabintes.

Goto crow river products website and look under resin details. The part numbers are O-108 for the single door relay box and O-109 for the double door box. As far as the equipment sheds well you will have to find extra parts from Lionel's fastrack locon or Atlas O signal sheds.

Last edited by prrhorseshoecurve
prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Yes there is an O scale mfg that makes single and double door relay cabintes.

Goto crow river products website and look under resin details. The part numbers are O-108 for the single door relay box and O-109 for the double door box. As far as the equipment sheds well you will have to find extra parts from Lionel's fastrack locon or Atlas O signal sheds.

Thanks!. And this site never showed up on my google searches.  Guess that has to do with the "tags" (if that is what they are still called) used by the website search bots.  Nice reasonable prices.  Too bad you can't zoom in to see more detail.  But then All I need is generic cases not ones that are exacting to the hinge, handles  and rivet for my era or RR line (in other words, good e'nuf).

RRMAN

I was looking for signal wayside structures and couldn’t find any other than the Lionel Hot box Detecter , MTH ITAD , Lionel crossing stuff etc. so I tried to make my own. I used card stock, Elmers all purpose glue, hobby tools, 1/4” popsicle sticks, 1/4” paper faced foam board and Testers aluminum paint. And here are the 2 foot stand off signal bungalows and double door cases I come up with.3B0A4E85-6BD1-4C94-B1F8-48F5FB8EEC04A141E4DE-C3C7-4CDF-8ADD-C3B3CFD7DAB4281B19C2-417B-47C7-BE5F-F15A670E5493FDF72BF0-E6B1-49F1-A198-F4FC8E8354705C15E3AD-84F4-4BA5-A005-283338BF39528849A4D9-9295-4846-A9E7-7942AE50886C6A051212-1E2A-49E0-88FE-9C4E32C111EEE0891979-3FB8-48A1-A761-F82B386F0CCED874BBF7-3BFA-4A9A-B317-A03AE004E575F7828B5C-7A4D-4B59-BB27-A7CAB4886B50E3DC1361-F0B2-4490-8108-06D3262089BD02E26055-6CC6-41DF-8F85-1528970ECDFA6FAB0A96-4776-41C3-A38A-C58F836ECDD00FF2CDC3-9620-48D4-A611-6D7A73FC4B3728C70284-445A-466A-A4F3-166A7B0DF7C0621C0697-0BC1-4A31-9373-6506084D1E1F66BC75BD-B4A4-4528-92B2-C838F2560812F91B74DA-5FC1-4DC7-8514-7F179D4A187B

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Images (18)
  • 3B0A4E85-6BD1-4C94-B1F8-48F5FB8EEC04: Card stock double door case
  • A141E4DE-C3C7-4CDF-8ADD-C3B3CFD7DAB4
  • 281B19C2-417B-47C7-BE5F-F15A670E5493
  • FDF72BF0-E6B1-49F1-A198-F4FC8E835470
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  • 6A051212-1E2A-49E0-88FE-9C4E32C111EE
  • E0891979-3FB8-48A1-A761-F82B386F0CCE
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  • F7828B5C-7A4D-4B59-BB27-A7CAB4886B50
  • E3DC1361-F0B2-4490-8108-06D3262089BD
  • 02E26055-6CC6-41DF-8F85-1528970ECDFA
  • 6FAB0A96-4776-41C3-A38A-C58F836ECDD0
  • 0FF2CDC3-9620-48D4-A611-6D7A73FC4B37
  • 28C70284-445A-466A-A4F3-166A7B0DF7C0
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  • 66BC75BD-B4A4-4528-92B2-C838F2560812
  • F91B74DA-5FC1-4DC7-8514-7F179D4A187B

BWRR,

I used 1/4” to the foot to make the bungalows. So the walls height is 2”(8’), the width is 1-1/2”(6’), the length is 2-1/2”(10’) the doors are 3/4” (3’) X 1-3/4”(7’). Looking at the pictures you can see the walls laid out on card stock. I scored the lines you see in the card stock and folded it on each line. The 1/4” tab on the left is the glue tab. Once glue is set I plugged the top and bottom of the opening with 1/4” paper faced foam board cut to size.(posted yesterday). Here is a picture of a popsicle stick building I made to cover some terminal strips. Being retired I try to work on a tight budget. Like when I worked for CSX doing more with less. So long story short each bungalow cost about  $1.50, the maintenance shed about $3.50.26FA3077-E444-4131-A9BA-20D9D9450DD01CA3250F-DC35-4A35-A39B-08E85DDAE2FC6B147107-E94C-44A6-82EE-42DFFE8CFB4D3C4E20B6-B01A-4246-9704-843806EEF02CCBB450FE-B2A4-4601-B084-09519F7CF729

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Images (5)
  • 26FA3077-E444-4131-A9BA-20D9D9450DD0
  • 1CA3250F-DC35-4A35-A39B-08E85DDAE2FC
  • 6B147107-E94C-44A6-82EE-42DFFE8CFB4D
  • 3C4E20B6-B01A-4246-9704-843806EEF02C
  • CBB450FE-B2A4-4601-B084-09519F7CF729

BWRR,

I made two sizes. The one on the left is known in railroad signaling as a 4X6 bungalow. It’s wall in front is 2” (8’) high by 1-1/2 “(6’) wide. The side wall is 1”(4’) wide and angels down 1/4’ (1’) to the back. The back wall is 1-3/4” (7’) the door is 3/4” (3’) X 1-5/8” (6’6”) high. The other shorter case is known as a low side double door junction box. It’s  front wall is 1-5/8” (6’6”) high X 1-1/4” (5’) wide. Side wall is 3/4” (3’) wide tapered down to 1-1/2” (6’). The back wall is 1-1/2” (6’). The doors are 1/2” (2’) X 1-1/2” (5’) front and back. The handles are staples cut in half placed in a small flat escutcheon glued in place. The vents and cable weather heads are small dowels rounded off and cut to size and cut in half. The planks are the 1/4” X 6” popsicle sticks I picked up at Hobby Lobby.  And the piers it sets on are 3/16” bass wood picked up at Hobby Lobby. Hope this helped.7155444B-C9E9-4DB8-AEFF-7A83A5D518B8

 

 

 

 

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Images (1)
  • 7155444B-C9E9-4DB8-AEFF-7A83A5D518B8
see attached PDF this is an electric control shed based on the photo. It is a standing seam construction shed. This is used at each railroad crossing to control the gates. Note the details on the electrical wiring, doors with door locks and crane LIFT loops that are intentionally bent inward due to the lifting in an actual shed
 
The model is shown in a photo on Art (Chugman) Williams layout in a recent issue of a model railroad magazine.(not OGRR).
 
I would suggest a rub-on decal for the doors indicating the railroad line and location numbers. Also there is a opening at the top thru which a very small led can be threaded to show a "power on" light.
 
PRINTING SUGGESTIONS: I oriented the model in the printer vertically making sure the outside electrical piping was supported. The doors were oriented on about a 70 degree angle supported on the back side so the front details printed clearly.
 
 
elec shed 3-4 view.jpg
elec shed close up back side see LOOPS bent as in photo.jpg
elec shed close up door see door LOCK!.jpg
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Last edited by AlanRail

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