So you’ve got your basic road system working and want to add a little more realism. How about working traffic lights that not only work, but are obeyed by traffic? There’s no smoke and mirrors, simply a small lead switch mounted inside the car, van or lorry that is switched by an electromagnet mounted under the baseboard just before the traffic lights. The magnets and traffic lights are connected to an electronics unit that controls those components and has adjustable time delays on the lights sequence.
Left: In operation, waiting at the lights.
The traffic lights come as a kit, but to make them more like the ones you see in the UK they need to be painted black. The working traffic lights set includes a pair of three-aspect traffic lights, two electromagnets and the locating units.
Above: The all-important electronic control box for the traffic lights. It controls the lights and the magnets, allowing you to adjust the timings and sequence of the lights themselves.
Above: This electromagnet, installed under the layout, triggers the switch on the vehicle seen on the vehicle chassis at the bottom of Step 8, above.