How to Wire & Build Model Railroad Crossing Lights

Model railroad with crossing lights.

Having a model railroad is a popular hobby. Railroad enthusiasts spend a lot of time and money making sure their railroad looks accurate and works perfectly. Imperative parts of every model railroad are model railroad crossing light which let vehicles know that a train will be crossing. These model railroad crossing lights are easy to make and don't have to be hi-tech.

Things You'll Need

• Railroad crossing light kit
• Red 5mm LED light
• Green 5mm LED light
• Two electrical wires
• Crossing light fixture
• Modeling glue
• Crossing light pole
• On-on switch
• AA battery

Instructions

1. Purchase the materials for your model railroad crossing lights from your local hobby shop or online. Some places might even sell kits which already come with everything you need.

2. Take the 5mm LED lights, you should have a green and a red one, and insert them into the openings of the crossing light faceplate.

3. Attach an electrical wire to both the wire from the red LED light and the wire from the green LED light.

4. Glue the rest of the crossing light fixture together using modeling glue. Allow the glue to dry.

5. Put the LED light wires and electrical wire through the crossing light pole and glue the pole to the fixture. Allow the glue to dry.

6. Take the wire from the green light and wire it to one end of the on-on switch. The on-on switch has two "on" positions, on either end, and one "off" position at its center. Each of the "on" positions controls one of the different colored lights.

7. Take the wire from the red light and wire it to the opposite end of the on-on switch.

8. Take the electrical wire and wire it to one end of a AA battery.

9. Take another electrical wire and wire it from the opposite end of the AA battery to the on-on switch.

10. Flip the on-on switch to test the lights.

References

• Model Railway Electrics - Build you own railway signal