HOW TO DO IT: INSTALL THE SENSOR SIGNAL
1
I needed to find a location for the signal. In DCC use, the two long fingers with contact strips fit under the rails and between the sleepers. I selected adjacent sleepers where the gaps would be easy to clear of ballast.
2
I had ballasted with cork granules and diluted PVA glue, so it was an easy job to clear out two adjacent sleeper gaps. Every scrap of ballast needs to be removed and there must be no lineside obstructions to the contact fingers.
3
Once I had loosened the ballast I used a portable vacuum cleaner to remove debris. It will be much more straightforward if you plan for the signals from the start! Ensure that the track is switched off before installing the signal.
4
I needed to remove a small grassy knoll to fit the signal. It will be replaced with a concrete plinth on which the signal will appear to stand. A small block of plaster-coated balsa should do the job.
5
With most Set-rack and flexible track, the two contact fingers can be located under the rails and pushed under the far rail until the sensor is tight up against the sleeper and both strips are under the rails. Don’t push on the post or head.
6
The contact fingers can be a bit of a loose fit under Peco track so they should be packed underneath, if necessary, to ensure good contact. Alternatively, you can do as I did and carefully solder the contacts to the rails.
7
The signal is supplied with a 1 metre length of wire with which to link two signals together. The wire fits into the output (back) socket of the signal base, linking it to the input (front) socket of the next signal. No soldering necessary!
8
Time to switch on the power and test. The signal should immediately light up green. The linking wire could be taken under the baseboard, but I chose to conceal it on top.
9
As soon as a locomotive passes above the sensor, the change in light level switches the signal to red. It is more suited to layouts where trains only pass in one direction, as it will go green again after a short while.
10
The second signal switches to red as the locomotive passes, allowing the previous signal, which is a three-aspect unit, to switch to amber and then to green. The green would then continue to show until the next train passes which, on a single track, could be in the wrong direction. You can use Train-tech’s mimic switch to override this and switch it to red. On this layout, such a switch could be used to control access to the fiddle-yard via this signal.