# Homemade crossing



## Cushtime2 (Jan 29, 2014)

Hi All,

I am looking for info on building a homemade crossing. I seem to remember seeing posts on this in the past but cant find them now. Here is a picture of the crossing I am looking to make.









Thank You,
Cush


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Cush;

That looks like a challenge. I don't know the thread that held construction instructions, but a friend sent me an interesting link to how a crossing (or diamond) problem was solved in Australia. Take a look at http://www.railexpress.com.au/is-this-australias-weirdest-railroad-crossing/ and see whether it gives you some inspiration.

It does look doable in large scale, but I would recommend using the straight segment for the "drawbridge" part.

Regards,
David Meashey


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

I know at one time Pete Comley at Sunset Valley was building custom crossings exactly like the one shown. He gave me a quote on one for my layout. But that was using code 250 rail, not code 332.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Cush,
A crossing isn't very different from building a switch, and there's lots of threads here on that topic. Try googling "site:mylargescale.com home made switch".

There's also a useful, comprehensive article from Saskatoon Railway Modellers
http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/construction/lsbuild/lsswitch.html

A crossing is just a switch with 4 frogs instead of points and one frog. The two narrow frogs, as you can appreciate, are just like the ones used for switches. The two wide-angle frogs are similar but have their own check rails doing double duty.

Then google "60 degree railroad crossing" and take a look at the images - you'l lget the idea where all the check rails and frogs go. Here's a good example:


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

It is a lot easier if you are not concerned about electrical continuity. I make switches by soldering parts together.


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## Cushtime2 (Jan 29, 2014)

Dave Meashey said:


> Cush;
> 
> That looks like a challenge. I don't know the thread that held construction instructions, but a friend sent me an interesting link to how a crossing (or diamond) problem was solved in Australia. Take a look at http://www.railexpress.com.au/is-this-australias-weirdest-railroad-crossing/ and see whether it gives you some inspiration.
> 
> ...


Wow Dave, that is a wicked cool idea. I could be up and running in no time with that then try and automate it later. I really wish my heart wasn't set on a more traditional crossing. Something tells me after a few failed attempts at a regular crossing I'll be doing this. Thank You for the inspiration. Cush


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## Cushtime2 (Jan 29, 2014)

So here is a quick design that I came up with...








I would drill and tap the bottom of the rail and screw them to probably a sheet of 3/8" black delrin. This would make all the rails insulated from one another and I would use insulated rail connectors making the entire crossing free from voltage. Now if all of my assumptions are correct when the front wheel set of my locomotive enters the crossing the front motor will power down leaving only the rear set to pull the load (will it be enough?) and by the time the rear set enters the front set should be back on powered track. I also assume that once the front wheel set enters the crossing the trailing wheels on that same set will still be powered and voltage would be bridged onto the crossing briefly. Do I have a clue of this whole concept or do I need to go back to the drawing board?

Thank You,
Cush


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Whether the front motor will stop working is a function of the wheelbase of the front set of wheels and if the blocks are wired separately. If the wheel base is long enough, the amount of time that both (or all three) axles are on the isolated section should be fairly limited. Also, I'm sure there _are_ locomotives that are wired up that way, but I've never seen one where the individual motors are isolated from one another. All the dual-motor locomotives I've seen have wiring that connects the power pickups from one set of wheels to the other--so the rear wheels would still be picking up power and that power would be transferred to the front motor, even if the front motor was on an unpowered section. 

Keep in mind that there's no reason you can't power the rail at the crossing. You could easily drill and tap the bottom of that rail and wire it up. How complicated that is depends on whether the loco wheels are likely to span the gaps and if the tracks are wired so that creates a short.


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