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 Walthers TRIGOR Track Installation and Adaptation
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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 18 2013 :  10:13:21 PM Link directly to this topic  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
In the January 13-January 19 AOTW forum I showed off a recent Ebay find that I have always been curious about, Walthers TRIGOR track. After doing some research with the Model Railroader Magazine 75-Year collection DVD I found some additional info about this accessory...

The TRIGOR was advertised as a quick and easy way to install working signals on an HO scale model railroad without needing any sophisticated electronics gear. Its first advertisement in Model Railroader appears in the February 1955 issue on page 71 where it is listed as a product made by a company called Beejay and distributed through Walthers. After this initial advertisement the reference to Beejay disappears and there after the TRIGOR is sold strictly as a Walthers product.
So what is the TRIGOR? In the April 1956 issue of Model Railroader on page 18 the description and operation of the TRIGOR is described in the “Odds and Ends” section…




“…it’s a straight section of Atlas Snap-Track equipped with adjustable phosphor-bronze sp.dt. contacts. As a train passes over the track, its weight operates the contacts. After the train passes, the contacts return to normal position. One Snap-Track section on either side of the Trigor section (as well as the Trigor itself) must be left unspiked so that the contacts won’t be held in an operated position by the pressure of the track.

A 2 oz. freight car is heavy enough to move the contacts if they are properly adjusted.
The instruction sheet furnished with Trigor shows hookups for two- and three-color signals, plus a modified form of A.T.C. (automatic train control). Lugs for attaching wires are provided along one side of the Trigor section. Incidentally, if the Trigor system is to be used with longer-than-train-length blocks, it is necessary to install extra Trigor sections at several points within the block to prevent signals from clearing until a train is completely out of the block.”

In the February 1980 issue of Model Railroader in the MR Clinic section on page 149 there is a brief description on how to incorporate the TRIGOR in an automatic anti-collision system.

Walthers regularly advertised the TRIGOR in Model Railroader Magazine for 27 years, the last ad showing in the May 1982 issue of MR. Standard Hobby Supply was the last mail order vendor to offer the TRIGOR, dropping the item from their lists after the April 1989 issue of MR.

So after purchasing a TRIGOR on Ebay I wanted to finally get a chance to see how well it works. The catch is that I wanted to see if I could adapt it to Bachmann’s EZ-Track system. In the MR article above it states that the TRIGOR track and the two 9 inch length sections of standard Snap Track must be left unspiked so that the weight of the track itself wont press down on the metal contact. Unfortunately this can’t be done with EZ-Track because the track is already attached to a plastic roadbed. The pictures below show my solution…







I modified a 9 inch straight section of EZ track by removing a 5 and a half inch long section of track from the middle of the track section and then installed a modified TRIGOR track in its place. The TRIGOR contact is allowed to float inside the plastic roadbed, it’s weight supported only by the pressure sensor at one end and a doll house hinge at the other. To keep the floating TRIGOR track lined up with the fixed EZ track rails I installed adjustment screws underneath the track section to raise the height of the floating TRIGOR track vertically and brass wire wiskers soldered to the EZ Track rails help keep the floating TRIGOR track lined up horizontally. Power to the TRIGOR track is provided by jumper wires located at the hinged end. The signal itself is wired to the TRIGOR as displayed on the package schematic.
The result works reasonably well, but if I were to do this project over again I would make the floating TRIGOR track section longer, ideally the floating track section should be at least as long as your longest piece of rolling stock to prevent the signal from flickering. Adding some weight to the underside of the floating section may help as well. Finally while powering the signal off of track power will work, I would recommend a separate power source for the signal to allow the signal light to glow steadily regardless of how fast your locomotive is running.
So for those of you who have seen this item on Ebay or have noticed this product in old Walthers catalogs and have wanted to give this interesting accessory a try, I hope this little article will help you get on your way!

Scott

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Edited by - Srenchin on January 22 2013 9:20:26 PM
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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 19 2013 :  11:15:06 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
TRIGOR Track Version 2.0

I decided to rebuild my TRIGOR EZ-Track to lengthen the floating track section to 13 inches. Now the signal operates perfectly when my 60 foot cars roll over the TRIGOR without the aspect flickering between red and green. Here are some pictures of the updated version...














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Edited by - Srenchin on January 22 2013 9:14:56 PM
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microbusss
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 Posted - January 19 2013 :  11:17:41 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add microbusss to Buddylist
now try it with a semaphore
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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 19 2013 :  11:45:16 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
Hmmm....Didn't AHM make a simple semaphore signal? Now I am tempted to make another one of these things.
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Redwoods
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 Posted - January 20 2013 :  1:31:53 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Redwoods to Buddylist
Nicely done!

You could extend the time that the signal is red with a delay circuit - I've had good success with a Velleman K2579 Start/Stop timer. I've used it with magnetic reed switch, but the trigor should work just as well.

-Thomas
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Tyco Nut
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 Posted - January 20 2013 :  7:34:20 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Tyco Nut to Buddylist
Thanks for posting this! Semi-automatic switches like this are a pretty neat idea. This gives me some ideas for my own DCC layout where I can do some things without the DCC. I don't mind multiple power packs, and will have some accessories on a couple of different packs. This just adds to the fun!
Starting my Tyco and other favorites collection over again after 37 years.
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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 20 2013 :  7:38:53 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
A delay circuit would really help reduce the "toy like" operation of this accessory. An even better improvement would be to allow a yellow transition light to be displayed for a few moments before it goes to clear. Sadly I don't have the expertise to design something like that but if I could find published plans I would give it a try....
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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 20 2013 :  7:46:06 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
"Thanks for posting this! Semi-automatic switches like this are a pretty neat idea. This gives me some ideas for my own DCC layout where I can do some things without the DCC. I don't mind multiple power packs, and will have some accessories on a couple of different packs. This just adds to the fun!"

I agree that the TRIGOR still has a place in the era of DCC, sadly these things are no longer being made. However the mechanics of the TRIGOR are very simple and should be relatively easy to duplicate from scratch at home. All you need is phosphor bronze strips, terminal screws, and rivets.

Trigors also show up from time to time on EBay so it is worth while to search for them there too!


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NickelPlate759
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 Posted - January 22 2013 :  01:55:42 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add NickelPlate759 to Buddylist
Nice retrofit, Scott. Here's something that might interest you.









I had these on my layout when I was a kid. I found the instructions in the file my father kept for my model trains.

The Tyco Depot
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microbusss
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 Posted - January 22 2013 :  06:55:48 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add microbusss to Buddylist
neat you can hook up a railroad crossing signal to it
Note that the illistration shows it as "crossing railroad" wrong
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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 22 2013 :  9:01:04 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
Ah Ha!! Thanks Nelson!!!

I knew there must have been someone in this forum that had experience with the TRIGOR and you even have a copy of the elusive instructions that I couldn't find! Now I am curious, how well did the TRIGOR sections work? What did your father use these accessories for? How well did they hold up during the lifetime of the layout they were used on? Any insight or recollections you may have about the TRIGOR system would be greatly appreciated!

Scott

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NickelPlate759
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 Posted - January 22 2013 :  10:34:11 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add NickelPlate759 to Buddylist
They were installed for crossing signals that were very nice (all metal construction, and I have no idea who made them), and the performance was decent enough, with some flickering from lighter cars or even between diesel trucks. I was too young to fine tune them properly, and eventually all the GOW bulbs in the crossing signal burned out... they were too bright even on the 12V accessory output.

They ended up disused, and I finally removed the contacts for better appearance. Interesting on page 3 that they suggest using it for blocking, but one problem I can see is the inability to clean dirt or corrosion from the contacts with it soldered in place. I think that became an issue with ours.

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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 23 2013 :  10:43:18 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
Cleaning the contacts wasn't something I had even considered. I suppose that ballasting the track was out of the question too. Did your father ever try fixing the TRIGORs or were they considered gimicks that weren't meant to last?
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NickelPlate759
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 Posted - January 26 2013 :  12:38:52 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add NickelPlate759 to Buddylist
I think the signals failed first, but I'm sure as years passed the contacts became tarnished. You could clean the contacts above the ties, but the one underneath where adjustment screw B is would have been impossible, and the loose ballast used today would interfere. We used cork roadbed, and at the time there was this gray ballast paint with sand mixed in that we painted on, so it was static and didn't interfere.

The Trigor sections were left to float, but had laminated cardboard roadwork that crossed them and made it impossible to remove them for service.

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Srenchin
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 Posted - January 26 2013 :  7:06:57 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Srenchin to Buddylist
Wow Nelson, talk about old school! Now I am curious about the "ballast paint" you used. I have a piece of Tru-Scale track with the wood roadbed that appears to be decorated with gray paint with sand grains mixed in it. I wonder if this is the same paint that was used on your layout? Was this paint was specially made for the model railroad market or was this a material that made for something else (the stuff on my Tru-Scale track section looks like anti-slip paint used on boat decks)?

I enjoy learning about how model railroaders practiced this hobby before I was born (1970). While the technology has increased considerably in the last 40 years, I can't help to marvel at the ingenious solutions model railroaders back then came up with to close the gap between what they needed and what was actually available at the local hobby shop.

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NickelPlate759
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 Posted - January 26 2013 :  8:12:40 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add NickelPlate759 to Buddylist
I'm sure it's the same stuff. I remember it came in small cans, and the label was mostly blue & red IIRC. You had to keep mixing it because the sand would settle to the bottom, of course. I bought a few sections of Tru-Scale mounted to molding for display purposes, and the roadbed was treated with ballast paint as well.

My dad built the layout and I 'helped,' but I was only 6. /tyco/forum/uploaded/NickelPlate759/icon_mi_2.gif

P.S. The paint was a Tru-Scale product! I did a search after typing this, and came up with some info on the Bachmann forum:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php?topic=20267.15

"Ah, Tru-Scale. You could buy it RTR, if you were rolling in dough, or as milled but otherwise bare wood. For those of you who have no idea what we're talking about, Tru-Scale roadbed was softwood milled to the contour of roadbed. You could lay your track directly on it, much like we use cork today. BUT, Tru-Scale also made a deluxe version which had ties milled into the top of the roadbed, too. These had simulated fishplates so it actually held rail in a pretty good approximation of gauge even without a rail gauge. (Only idiots, however, trusted only the roadbed for gauge.) The ties were stained with a thinned creosote material, just like 12":1' railroads and Tru-Scale sold a gray paint with course sand in it which was supposed to simulate ballast. You could stain the ties and paint the roadbed before installing the rail because the sand was small enough that it was below the tops of the ties so it didn't interfere with the rail. One problem was that you had to constantly stir the ballast paint because the sand would quickly settle to the bottom. I still have a small can of the ballast paint that I hope will be needed on some future project. It might work pretty well for a roof.

I took a piece of bare roadbed and ties Tru-Scale track to a train show last weekend and I could tell how long people had been model rails by whether they recognized it. Forty-five to 50 years seemed to be about the point where recognition happened, dating both me and some of the visitors to my booth. Thanks for an opportunity to saunter down memory lane.
-- D"


Man, do I feel old. /tyco/forum/uploaded/NickelPlate759/icon_mi_14.gif

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Willard Seehorn
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 Posted - July 29 2015 :  08:39:02 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Willard Seehorn to Buddylist
Nickleplate 759, thanks for posting the instructions for the Triggor mechanisim.

Came across mention of the Triggor on one of the Yahoo groups I'm on. After several Google searches I found your post.

If you still have the instructions you might consider copying and sending to HOseeker.net. He's maintaining a very helpful resource, and is always glad to add material. As near as I can tell he doesn't have the Triggor material.

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Barry
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 Posted - July 29 2015 :  10:13:11 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Barry to Buddylist
Thanks for the posting Scott. That Trigor looks like a neat piece. And it is especially nice to see a posting in this section after nearly a month has gone by without one.
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ckrails
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 Posted - August 09 2016 :  12:45:18 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add ckrails to Buddylist
For anyone receiving notifications for this thread and interested in acquiring one of these fine examples of advanced technology, you have until 11:57pm EST TODAY (Tuesday, August 9, 2016):

http://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/Vintage-50-Set-Of-Trigor-Train-Tracks-32141745.html

Good luck!
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