Accessories

H

Hookedtrout

New Member
Jul 18, 2004
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Not that I'm at the accessory point yet but that is my next line of thinking so I'll throw out a few questions (quite a few) in order to get started so I can start looking at what I need to study up on and what I need to start pricing.

If I run some street lights, crossing gates, swimming pool diver or what ever fun and exciting accessories are out there what do I need to make him dive?

Also the switches? I don't have a clue on how to set up the switches. The wiring of them doesn't really worry me it's some sort of control center. Even though I'm going DCC I'm gathering from the lack of response or the odd responses that I get when I mention DCC and operating switches that going that way doesn't really offer much benefit. So I think I'll keep the accessories separate from the DCC.

Do I need a special power pack to do all this? Will my old Tyco power pack cover a bunch of accessories? Do I build a switch panel and label it and put little switches on it? Can you set it up so the gates come down as the train passes. Man I feel stupid :confused: asking all these questions but I see it on "I Love Trains" and it sure adds a lot to the layout when the lights light up and the arms come down and the swimmer drowns in the pool.

Thanks, Hook
 
Not sure about the swimming pool diver, but streetlights and crossing gates are a different matter. There are crossing gate kits out now that include widgets that detect an oncoming train (you have to install the widgets and connect them to a PC board) so the lights will flash and crossing arm will drop at the appropriate time.

If you're just powering lights that will stay on or be manually controlled, you can certainly use your old Tyco power pack. Supposedly there are DCC accessories that you can hook into the DCC power pack and control through the DCC controller but I'm not real familiar with all that...or you can just make a switch panel and put little switches on it.
 
SAL Comet said:
Ha HT, try a search for wash rack at http://www.railpictures.net/ They have 70000 photos online, the only trick is finding the one you want.
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Awesome website, thanks, what's a wash rack? It worked but I still don't have an idea of what it is. The pictures it pulled up weren't what I was expecting when I typed in wash rack but they are awesome.

Hook
 
I am confused, what does a wash rack, and all of those pictures have to do with accessories?

Anywho, I have been wondering the same thing Hook. I want to have street lights, interior lights, the whole works, but I don't know how to power them. I deffinitely have plenty of cheap beginner set transformers, so if they will work I am all down with that. Hopefully someone who knows what they're doing in that area can fill us in.

As for crossing gates, you can go to http://www.berkshirejunction.com/ they have gates that go down, however they cost a pretty penny. I thought that I once read somewhere that you can connect gates up to a slow motion switch machine and get the same affect. I wish I knew where I saw that because it would sure be a cool effect and save quite a bit of money.

Hope this helps some.

Freelancer
 
I'm with ya on the cost. 130.00 for a powered crossing seems pretty expensive for a little toy like that. Hard to understand where the cost is. I'm thinking I may give an attempt at building my own as far as crossing gates, not sure about making them function but lighting them and all shouldn't be a problem. But then I may just find out why they cost so much in my adventure.

Here's another link I was sent backdoor email that has some accessories.

www.tomarindustries.com

Hook
 
Hookedtrout said:
I'm with ya on the cost. 130.00 for a powered crossing seems pretty expensive for a little toy like that. Hard to understand where the cost is. I'm thinking I may give an attempt at building my own as far as crossing gates, not sure about making them function but lighting them and all shouldn't be a problem. But then I may just find out why they cost so much in my adventure.

Here's another link I was sent backdoor email that has some accessories.

www.tomarindustries.com

Hook
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LOL Hook. They cost because they are hard to make functional and keep in scale doing so. You can get out of scale plastic ones cheap from Bachmann http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-44579 or pay for the hand built scale ones, or build them yourself. It's hard to build them to scale. Fred
 
Hookedtrout said:
Awesome website, thanks, what's a wash rack? It worked but I still don't have an idea of what it is. The pictures it pulled up weren't what I was expecting when I typed in wash rack but they are awesome.

Hook
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A wash rack is a drive-through "car wash" for locomotives, found in yards that have some engine facilities. Trains get dirty running through the countryside, and washracks keep things shiny. It counts as an accessory because some folks build wash racks with brushes that spin! (They don't actually touch the engines, though--havoc on handrails and paintjobs would result!) I suppose if someone wanted to get really crazy, they could rig up some very thin tubing in a wash rack and connect it to "canned air" or a small compressor--when the engine passes through the wash rack, hit the air and you can knock the dust off your locomotive without having to touch it!


Great site--lots of wonderful shots I had never seen before!
 
I don't think I saw a wash rack when I went to the site? I just saw a bunch of engines on the track. If there were wash racks I didn't notice them I guess. Have to go look again.

Hook
 
thormax said:
I need some help on my tyco piggy back loader the moters work but the lift truck does move and all the parts are there on yhe under side
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Can't really help you there but I would suggest you start a new thread and ask the same question, you may get more replys if it is in a new thread.

Good luck. :thumb:

Hook
 
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