Solenoid turnout motors, or point motors as they are sometimes called, are powered by a 16v auxiliary power supply...
Cart 0 Product Products (empty)
No products
Free shipping! Shipping
£ 0.00 Total
Product successfully added to your shopping cart
Quantity
Total
There are 0 items in your cart. There is 1 item in your cart.
Total products (tax incl.)
Total shipping (tax excl.) Free shipping!
Total (tax incl.)
Search Tips
Tips categories
Latest Tips
-
How do you power solenoid point motors?Read more -
How can I make model railway tunnels look more detailed?Read moreTo make your model railway tunnels look more detailed and realistic, focus on texture, weathering and scenic...
-
What is the British Rail double arrow logo?Read moreThe British Rail Double Arrow logo was designed by Gerald Barney in 1965 for the then nationalised British Railways....
-
Why is 7/0.2 wire used for wiring model railway layouts?Read more7/0.2 wire is what railway modellers most commonly use for wiring auxiliary features to their layouts and to carry...
-
What does scale mean?Read moreScale is a representation in figures of how small a model is in relation to its full-sized prototype.There are...
When and why would a railway modeller use a reed switch?
As a modeller, but not necessarily an electrician, you may have read many 'how to' articles advising the use of a reed switch, but also wondered what they are and what they do.
The quickest way to understand a reed switch is to forget about the 'reed' part to leave you with the simple description 'switch'. When you think of a reed switch in that way, what you can do with one becomes clear - You can use it to turn stuff on or off!
Of course, there are different types of switches, and a reed switch is best described as a 'push to make' switch that's activated by a magnet rather than a finger.
The fact that a reed switch is activated by a magnet gives it huge potential to automate virtually anything on a layout. Attach a magnet to the bottom of your train and every time that train passes a track-mounted reed switch, it will be activated.
If you require a reed switch to permanently switch something, as opposed to sending a short burst of power as the train passes, that too is possible with the use of a relay.
With that in mind, the answer to the original question is that reed switches are used by railway modellers to automate components or accessories by the passing of a train.
Posted in: Model Railway
Click here to receive the tips weekly in your mailbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Related products
DISC**Small Magnet (for reed switches)
Price: £ 1.10Small Magnet (for reed switches) 18mm x 3mm x 3mm
Small Reed Switch
Price: £ 1.30Small Reed Switch Max switching current 0.5amps (capacity 10VA)Max Voltage...
Related posts
-
What scale is Hornby?Hornby model railways are OO Scale or 1/76th that is 4 millimetres to the foot (12 inches). It runs on a track with... - How to weight my model so it does not tip?For wargaming figures, a small coin or washer glued to the under side of the base will usually to do the job. This...
- Is Bachmann compatible with Hornby?Yes, any OO scale loco, wagon or coach will work on any OO scale track, regardless of brand. Couplings are also...
- What are the model railway eras?According to Bachmann, as it states in their catalogue there are 9 eras. As they say in their catalogue this is not...
- Can a "DCC ready" train be used on analogue?Yes, you can use a DCC ready train on your analogue layout. DCC ready just means that the train has been factory...