GRS Searchlight signal with relay base

[Craig Martyn]

The question is which prototype signal?

A little feedback from people here on what they would like to see couldn't hurt.

Type:  H2

I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you.       I love that line...

Keep the feedback coming; it all helps narrow the focus on what should be produced.

[Mark5]

I've come to the conclusion that most modelers (especially N scalers) don't give a hoot about prototypical signals. This board is probably somewhat of an exception.

For me signals are core to my goal, which is to reproduce the look and feel of my favorite railroad. I've got some Alkem PRR heads that I'll have to modify and re-wire into N&W CPLs (this should be fun soldering!), but at least most of the work was done making the targets.

So all in all my prospects for sigs on my model railroad are much better off than 5yrs ago or so, when just about everything would have had to be scratchbuilt.

Mark

[Sokramiketes]

Here's hoping for individual LED's for each color aspect (so we get a true signal green, and don't have problems mixing the yellow with A/C current...)  Also, if they happen to be metal (brass) and you're not planning on running all the +/- wires down the shaft but rather using the signal as a common with one wire to each LED, then make sure the mast is +!  Signals indications should be the ground (-). 

You know, just in case these weren't too far along in design, you can save some major headaches for me later. 

[GaryHinshaw]

This one Craig:

[asciibaron]

For reference.

GRS signals to the right of the power, in this case, 2 headed (1 facing each way)

while these are GRS signals, they are train order signals.  other TO stations had semaphore styles TO signals.

here is an actual intermediate L&HR GRS signal at MP 51.2 (near Huntsville, NJ).  the number plate signifies this is a permissive signal.

[asciibaron]

I'm aspiring to copy the PROTOTYPE...     

i love you, man.

[asciibaron]

the H-2 is not a GRS product, it's an US&S product, but it's darn close so i won't complain...

the GRS model is called the SA.

-steve

[JDouglasFisher]

For reference.

GRS signals to the right of the power, in this case, 2 headed (1 facing each way)

while these are GRS signals, they are train order signals.  other TO stations had semaphore styles TO signals.

here is an actual intermediate L&HR GRS signal at MP 51.2 (just near Huntsville, NJ).  the number plate signifies this is a permissive signal.

Thats the one near the small airfield (as Andover Aeroflex is North of there by a few minutes.)

Anyway, if you noticed while romping there, there is a small (perhaps private) airfield. I inquired of the old man in the Hanger, and he didn't seem to thrilled.

Was planning on getting it legitimately and then restoring it.

Good to see its still standing.

J

[asciibaron]

Here's hoping for individual LED's for each color aspect

the three lead tri-colors with green and red and the mix for yellow looks good once you get the right padding resistor.

[asciibaron]

Anyway, if you noticed while romping there, there is a small (perhaps private) airfield. I inquired of the old man in the Hanger, and he didn't seem to thrilled.

here are the signals...

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qtv4yd8s1k66&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=18409390&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

there are others out there...

[Sokramiketes]

Here's hoping for individual LED's for each color aspect

the three lead tri-colors with green and red and the mix for yellow looks good once you get the right padding resistor.

Well, a mostly acceptable yellow that way... but the main problem is the green.  If you know of a bi-color LED with a green that hits a wavelength of 525 nm, please share.   

Now, a red/blue/green tri-color will hit that wavelength, but good luck driving it with typical model railroad signal driver boards.

Really, the three seperate LED's seems to be the best solution so far.  I hear Jim Hinds at Richmond Controls may even have the girls in China assembling pre-wired packages of such a beast... in case someone was looking.

[JDouglasFisher]

Anyway, if you noticed while romping there, there is a small (perhaps private) airfield. I inquired of the old man in the Hanger, and he didn't seem to thrilled.

here are the signals...

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qtv4yd8s1k66&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=18409390&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

there are others out there...

Yep, they be the ones.

I didn't know there were others too still around though, and actually found these quite by accident one day when I was working for AAA and had a tire change in that small lot.

Off Topic, but if one looks a little to the North West in Greendell, the old Lackawanna Station and Tower still stand along the cutoff.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qtwcy78ryq6q&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=16099551&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Having inspected the station, its of a concrete design (no surprise, it was when the Lackawanna built everything of concrete) but I didn't realize the tower still stood as well.

Don't know who owns that property but the station was fenced off. Had plans to make a North Western New Jersey Railroad Museum out of the place (hence why the signal was important) but never got around to finding out who owns the station property.

J,.

[JDouglasFisher]

Here's hoping for individual LED's for each color aspect

the three lead tri-colors with green and red and the mix for yellow looks good once you get the right padding resistor.

Well, a mostly acceptable yellow that way... but the main problem is the green.  If you know of a bi-color LED with a green that hits a wavelength of 525 nm, please share.   

Now, a red/blue/green tri-color will hit that wavelength, but good luck driving it with typical model railroad signal driver boards.

Really, the three seperate LED's seems to be the best solution so far.  I hear Jim Hinds at Richmond Controls may even have the girls in China assembling pre-wired packages of such a beast... in case someone was looking.

Jim Hinds, isn't he the one that invented the "Golden White" LED?

I recall him doing something of the matter on the Nscale email list.

J.

[djsmeltzer]

Now, a red/blue/green tri-color will hit that wavelength, but good luck driving it with typical model railroad signal driver boards.

You shouldn't have a problem driving one of these as they typically have 4 contacts, one positive and a separate ground for each color to drive it.  So you'd wire it just like a bi-color and just leave the blue disconnected.

Also, here's a bi-color with a 525 green

http://www.kingbrightusa.com/product.asp?catalog_name=LED&product_id=AAA5060SUREVGEC

Problem is, it's somewhat large at 6mm x 5mm

UPDATE - Here's the answer

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=P11590TR-ND

1.25 mm x 1.1 mm 625 Red 525 Green

[Sokramiketes]

Now, a red/blue/green tri-color will hit that wavelength, but good luck driving it with typical model railroad signal driver boards.

You shouldn't have a problem driving one of these as they typically have 4 contacts, one positive and a separate ground for each color to drive it.  So you'd wire it just like a bi-color and just leave the blue disconnected.

Also, here's a bi-color with a 525 green

http://www.kingbrightusa.com/product.asp?catalog_name=LED&product_id=AAA5060SUREVGEC

Problem is, it's somewhat large at 6mm x 5mm

UPDATE - Here's the answer

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=P11590TR-ND

1.25 mm x 1.1 mm 625 Red 525 Green

Well... a bi-color LED would have two legs.  Feed power in one way for Red, other way for Green, A/C for yellow. 

So for the tri-color, you'd need to ground one leg for Red, one leg for Green... but then both leads grounded for yellow, not A/C.  Now, possibly you could use a driver for seperate LED's, not a bi-color searchlight driver, but is the yellow correct with just the red and green turned on, or do you need to be able to adjust the color???  That's where I'm having difficulty, but maybe just need to experiment with one.