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I’m starting to work on a 4X8 for Under the Christmas tree.  I have not bought lighted fast rack yet, but I’m wondering if the lighting can be set up to stay on constant, instead of train activated.  Has anybody tried to wire it that way?  Thanks,

Mark

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One outer rail is "hot" whenever the transformer is on and the other outer rail has a large section that is switched "on" when a set of wheels crosses over. This is accomplished by a gap in that outer rail as seen here:

There are several ways to do what you want. The easiest, cheapest, and most easily reversible is to turn the track upside down and disconnect the black wire plugged into the switched outer rail and plug it into the hot rail. Since the red and black wires are together as one cable, you can also move the red wire over (the red wire does not need to be moved, this is only to keep them together as a cable).

Note that if you have a Santa Claus gateman, you can connect it to those original connectors that will bring Santa out when a train comes by!

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  • Gap in Lionel Lighted Fastrack: Gap in Lionel Lighted Fastrack
  • Electrical Connections in Lionel Lighted Fastrack: Electrical Connections in Lionel Lighted Fastrack
  • Lionel Operating Santa Claus gateman: Lionel Operating Santa Claus gateman

So depending on which version of Lionel Santa gatekeeper you have, you need to know how to wire it to the lighted track. I could not find a specific place where Lionel explains this, but I did find instructions for how to use a  6-82038 3-pin 8" female pigtail. Do not buy this pigtail unless you need it for your version of the gatekeeper. But this diagram should help you with wiring. You want the light to stay lit always and the Santa to come out when the train comes by.

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Images (1)
  • 6-82038 3-pin 8" female pigtail

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
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