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Track Parts to Identify
Pradyot hasn’t supplied much information, but has obviously seen this track part on the net:
“Please identify the item. What’s the use of it? Can it be placed on my N scale D.C. layout? Thanks.”
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Is the black piece of track rubber ?
No
It looks like a track weight switch.
It seems too big for n gauge
Maybe ho or possibly oo gauge
It might even be for a bigger gauge
The weight of the train presses on it and makes contact to close the switch
It will have no effect on the train power
Marvin
It is of n scale. About 1/2″ of track is insulated at square portion. Track power jumped from bottom end. I will try to get More section photos.
A different view.
HI
Is that a lite I see on it?
Any name on the back of track?
It does look like N scale to me.
According to google, it’s a minitrix, or trix, n gauge contact track switch, part # 4979. It looks to me that the more modern version is part # 14979. “For train-controlled activation of automatic functions. The switching process is activated only by a minimum of two metal wheels that are electrically linked together, not by individual wheels or plastic wheels.” So it’s of an age when DC was all there was. I think you would use it to activate a solenoid switch as the contact would be momentary. If you google “how to automatically work minitrix signals”, you should find a wiring diagram on a website confusingly called guidetozscale.com.
Backside of trix4979. And closeup picture of the same. Hope my friends will be able to identify the part & uses of that.
that seems to make sense. The locomotive straddles the insulating gap and makes the connection, completing the circuit, and thus activating whatever circuit you have the connector wired into. I suppose you could also use this to isolate a section of track.