Remote control switches
Most all remote control switches made for O27 did not come with the no d rail feature. This is a feature automatically changes the switch position when a train is approaching the switch if the switch is in the wrong position. The second-generation Lionel 1122 switches, made I believe in the late 40’s did come with this advanced feature. To the best of our knowledge, this was the only switch Lionel made for O27 until the late 2006 when K line released some of their products to Lionel allowing them to market some of the K line products with the Lionel name on it, including some switches. The other item that is missing in most O27 switches is the ability of wiring the switches for accessory power. This is an important feature, because without it as you slow the trains down to go thru the switches, the power is also reduced to the switches where they will not operate correctly or in some cases at all.
So, why the big opposition on behalf of Lionel and other manufacturers to include this feature for all their remote control switches? Personally, I believe it was because the wanted to keep the more deluxe features exclusive to the more expensive O gauge line, or they simply did not think of it. In the manufacturing process it would not have been a big deal to include these features.
Last year we started modifying many of the O27 switches we sell to include both the No D Rail feature and the ability to operate from accessory power. These new designs were accepted very well and as a result, starting with the 2018 season, virtually all the remote control O27 switches we sell will include our no d rail feature as well as the ability to be powered from accessory power. Exactly what we need supply to accomplish the No D Rail feature, varies from switch to switch as well as how you will wire them for accessory power. All the various switches come with complete wiring instructions.
When we add the no d rail feature, what happens is that when a train hits the no d rail activation point it activates the solenoid to change the switch. This solenoid will stay activated until the train passes thru. If you park a train on that point the solenoid will stay activate constantly, not good. A solution was found for this by some a really smart guy named ROB NELSON almost 15 years ago. We took his solution which was adding a cd (capacitive discharge circuit to the controllers) and now we include this feature on all O27 switches that require it. We did need to modify his original system somewhat, because our controllers work with 2 switches simultaneously.
Next we replace the remote controls like these:
With our new advanced controls that show which direction the switch is turned to with huge LED’s :
All our switches and controllers we produce now carry a full two year warranty. All of our O27 switches are sold in groups of 2, 1 left hand, and one right hand switch. If you need to change to for example 2 left hand switches no problem, just let us know via email.
Right Hand vs Left Hand Switch who’s on first?
THE SWITCHES
These are the Lionel 1121 switches. We refer to them as our “hump-back” switches. These have proven to be very durable switches with really quick actions once they have been modified. To achieve the No D Rail feature it is necessary to install the additional tracks as shown. They may come with full size tracks vs the ½ shown. These switches also come with our new CD controller, and are modified for accessory power.
Lionel K Line Remote Control Switches
These switches may carry the Lionel or K line brand. They are the 65121 switches. Most of those produced did have the No D Rail feature built in, and therefore no extra tracks are necessary They were originally made by K line, and are a nice quality switch. They have a very visible green or red flags on the switches. Some have 5 screw downs (which means they will not require the cd option) and will come with a slightly different controller. Those switches that come with 3 screw terminals we will include the CD controller at no cost. And are wired for accessory power
Lionel 1122 Switches
These are the Lionel 1122 series switches. These are very nice switches but require extensive modifications to make the accessory power work, which we do provide at no additional charge. There are several versions of these switches and most do have the built in no d rail feature. If they do not, we will supply the necessary extra tracks at no extra charge. These switches also include the CD controller at no extra cost.
Manual O27 switches
These are the Lionel late model 1022 manual switches: The flags turn red to indicate OOOPS better switch the switch.
These are the Lionel manual switches with red flip levers that were not made in great numbers but are a really nice switch and do have an illuminated lantern, that works well.
Another Marx set of switches, these are part of their last made and are a really good switch:
One of the best looking switches we have seen, and works well. The indicators are very easy to see and do not have light bulbs. K Line/Lionel brown plastic manual switches. They are nice looking late model manual switches.
1122 Switches
The price for this great item is for a pair (one left, one right switch). If you have a need for example of 2 left hand switches, instead of a matched pair, no problem can do, just let us know. .
Each controller will handle 2 switches, and light up nice and bright so you can actually see them!
These switches and controllers work best when hooked up to accessory power. The best feature of them is our adding the cd controller which require accessory power (more later). If you prefer your switches to work from center rail power, we offer a version that is designed to work that way, but does not include the cd option.
Why the big deal for hooking up the switches to accessory power? From the factory the power to operate the switch was supplied by the center rail, which is fine if you are running wide open power. However if you run your trains at less than wide open, or slow them down to go thru the switches, what happens is you have reduced the power to the switch so much That in some cases they just won’t switch, especially when they have aged a bit. This is especially a concern when using the auto no de rail feature.
Of course full directions are included. As always you will be provided with our telephone number as well as some optional contact methods.
These switches and all other O 27 switches that did not come from the factory with separate red and green bulbs in the remote controller from the factory, have a buzzing noise in the switch when trains run over or is parked on the no d rail circuits. This is caused by the solenoids being constantly activated when the no d rail feature being activated, which charges one of the solenoids, We have carefully analyzed this and feel that the buzzing , does not appear to hurt anything, for short periods, but ignored long enough it can damage the switch. Not to mention the buzzing can be annoying, We have seen incidences where then the switch heats up so much it melts some of the parts. Not to mention the current from the transformer that is being wasted charging those coils.
A very smart guy, from one of the forums, came up with a solution to this issue.
The story: Most all O27 switches made were not designed to work with accessory power, which means that if you slow a train down to go thru a switch, the switch may not operate correctly or at all. That plus, most O27 switches did not have a “NO D Rail” feature built in Soo some really smart guys said, really, well we’ll just have to see about that!. The inventor genes were flowing and the next thing you know, solutions and therefore modifications were made to the switches, to add not only accessory power hook ups, but in some cases also by adding extra insulated tracks, solved the no d rail issue.. HOWEVER, what was discovered that, as discussed previously, if one parked a car or an engine on the no do rail function, the solenoids in the switch were activated constantly, to the point where they actually got red hot, and eventually burned themselves out!….The solution! A really smart guy “Rob Nelson” came up with an idea of adding a cd circuit to the accessory power that operated the switches. How it worked was the switches were actually operated by a capacitor discharging. If a car was parked on the No D Rail track the capacitor would not recharge, and therefore would not damage the switch. Once the car was removed, the capacitor would recharge in a matter of seconds, and was ready once again to operate the switch again. Not bad eh? We were so impressed by all all this creativity, we now include accessory power and NO D Rail capability with all the O27 switches we offer. In addition we now include the CD system in all of our “red button” controllers, at no extra charge. We just cannot take credit for the invention so we have named these controllers the “Rob Nelson Controllers” Just our way of recognizing a really smart guy, who willingly shared his invention to anyone who was interested. If you are still around Bob, our sincere thanks to you. I can tell you that hundreds of layouts, are now using your invention.
Want to know more? We have an extensive explanation of the cd system elsewhere on our site. We also recognize That some folks do not a transformer that has the necessary accessory power outputs. No worries mate we have 3 potential solutions for you.
no 1. solution: you can add a second transformer to run all of your “rob nelson” controllers. If you would like to do that, email us and we will include a transformer for a grand total of $15 that will do the job very nicely
no 2 solutions: These switches will absolutely also operate using center rail power, we achieve this simply by not adding the components in the controller for the cd mod. Otherwise they will work fine, and you have a cost savings of $10 per switch pair.
We have been asked can we modify your switches to do what these do? Answer yes glad to, email us for info. The modifications require some very skilled machining and soldering. Would not suggest you may want to try on your own. If you decide you would like to try anyway, get a hold of us and we will tell you how its done.
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, but ignored long enough it can damage the switch. Not to mention the buzzing can be annoying, We have seen incidences where then the switch heats up so much it melts some of the parts. Not to mention the current from the transformer that is being wasted charging those coils.
A very smart guy, from one of the forums, came up with a solution to this issue.
The story: Most all O27 switches made were not designed to work with accessory power, which means that if you slow a train down to go thru a switch, the switch may not operate correctly or at all. That plus, most O27 switches did not have a “NO D Rail” feature built in Soo some really smart guys said, really, well we’ll just have to see about that!. The inventor genes were flowing and the next thing you know, solutions and therefore modifications were made to the switches, to add not only accessory power hook ups, but in some cases also by adding extra insulated tracks, solved the no d rail issue.. HOWEVER, what was discovered that, as discussed previously, if one parked a car or an engine on the no do rail function, the solenoids in the switch were activated constantly, to the point where they actually got red hot, and eventually burned themselves out!….The solution! A really smart guy “Rob Nelson” came up with an idea of adding a cd circuit to the accessory power that operated the switches. How it worked was the switches were actually operated by a capacitor discharging. If a car was parked on the No D Rail track the capacitor would not recharge, and therefore would not damage the switch. Once the car was removed, the capacitor would recharge in a matter of seconds, and was ready once again to operate the switch again. Not bad eh? We were so impressed by all all this creativity, we now include accessory power and NO D Rail capability with all the O27 switches we offer. In addition we now include the CD system in all of our “red button” controllers, at no extra charge. We just cannot take credit for the invention so we have named these controllers the “Rob Nelson Controllers” Just our way of recognizing a really smart guy, who willingly shared his invention to anyone who was interested. If you are still around Bob, our sincere thanks to you. I can tell you that hundreds of layouts, are now using your invention.
Want to know more? We have an extensive explanation of the cd system on our site. Too much to put here. just google tinman3rail, and there we are.
We also recognize That some folks do not a transformer that has the necessary accessory power outputs. No worries mate we have 3 potential solutions for you.
no 1. solution: you can add a second transformer to run all of your “rob nelson” controllers. If you would like to do that, email us and we will include a transformer for a grand total of $15 that will do the job very nicely
no 2 solution: These switches will absolutely also operate using center rail power, and we offer them on ebay as well as from our site. We achieve this simply by not adding the components in the controller for the cd mod. Otherwise they will work fine, and you have a cost savings of $10 per switch pair.
No 3 solution, we are now offering the switches with the cd option along with an extra transformer that will operate the switches for those who do not have accessory power on their transformers. This transformer will operate more than 20 pairs of switches
We now guarantee all of our reconditioned switches for 2 years. After we get thru with them, we want your great great grandchildren to enjoy these great switches.
We have been asked can we modify your switches to do what these do? Answer yes glad to, email us for info. The modifications require some very skilled machining and soldering. Would not suggest you may want to try on your own. If you decide you would like to try anyway, get a hold of us and we will tell you how its done.