This is a type of accessory I always found interesting. It's a very simple premise: there is a track section with a small weight mechanism so when the train goes over it, the crossing gate lowers as the train passes over it, then raises up again when the train has passed. Now the result usually wasn't realistic (I've often seen the gates jerk up and down as the train rides over), but it still does add some nice action to a layout. This accessory can often be found included in many mid-range train sets (especially from Tyco or Life-Like.) This doesn't cover stand-alone electronic gates like the ones from NJ International...
This was typically not found on professional layouts, but usually for when people start out. The earliest example would be Revell's model from 1958:
This model was also claimed to have working lights; I think they were DC-powered via the tracks.
The most famous one would probably have to be Tyco's:
It almost looks like a direct copy of the Revell crossing gate, but with a different base. It came out in 1968, ten years after the Revell one debuted, and remained available until Tyco dropped trains in the early 1990s. It was also included in several mid/high-end Tyco sets (like A nite-glow version also debuted in the late 1970s.
Athearn also made an operating crossing gate in the early 1960s:
Uniquely, this one used dual gates instead of just one. This one also didn't come with its own track section: any HO-scale conventional track section would usually fit.
Of course, there were more imitators of the Tyco version...
There was Bachmann's version, which also used dual gates. It was also included with some of their sets like The Rock and The Centennial.
Prototype version from a 1976 Bachmann catalog. The signals themselves look more like the Tyco versions than the version Bachmann actually offered.
There was also a unique version here from 1979, where a small mechanical bell was housed in a little shack on the base, and small incandescent lights were included in the signals, along with pressure sensors wired to the base so the train could set off the lights and bells before it actually gets to the crossing track section. It was actually even more unrealistic than just the wobbly gate motion; the lights just blinked on and off really fast without the alternating effect you expect from crossing signals and the bell would ding super fast.
Bachmann currently still offers it as an EZ-Track version. There is also a version with a white (snow) base, and a version with the small shack on the base (leftover from the version with the bell and lights, but without the bell in the shack, it is merely a decoration.)
Life-Like then hopped on the crossing gate bandwagon in 1978 with their own version:
Again, it is like a copy of the Tyco version (the signal itself looks very similar, but the gate has yellow stripes,) but with additional decorations on the base (like the signs and fence) to make it stand out more. In its early years, it was called the Woodberry crossing gate. Like the Tyco and Bachmann versions, this accessory was also very popular, and was also included in some of Life-Like's train sets (like the Trail King and the Thunderball Hauler.) This accessory is still available today.
Life-Like also offers a Power-Loc version with dual gates, similar to the Bachmann version. This is also included with some of Life-Like's mid-range train sets, like the Rail Runner, the Thundering Rails and the Freight Runner (formerly the Super Power Charger), and in their higher-end offerings like the Freightline USA, the Double Train Express and the Diesel Driver (formerly the Railroad Empire.)
There are also crossing gates that imitate the Tyco model from AHM, Model Power and Pemco (the latter's looks even more like the Tyco version than other companies' have!)
Tyco also offered an interesting gateless variation in 1980, where the signal has flashing alternating lights, and a small bell that is powered by a wind-up switch inside a crate:
Again, like Bachmann's flashing crossing gate accessory, this one has the bell ringing sort of fast and the lights blink unusually fast too, but at least they alternate realistically. In 1982, they offered just the signal with lights attached to a small track section, but they did not alternate when flashing.
This was typically not found on professional layouts, but usually for when people start out. The earliest example would be Revell's model from 1958:
This model was also claimed to have working lights; I think they were DC-powered via the tracks.
The most famous one would probably have to be Tyco's:
It almost looks like a direct copy of the Revell crossing gate, but with a different base. It came out in 1968, ten years after the Revell one debuted, and remained available until Tyco dropped trains in the early 1990s. It was also included in several mid/high-end Tyco sets (like A nite-glow version also debuted in the late 1970s.
Athearn also made an operating crossing gate in the early 1960s:
Uniquely, this one used dual gates instead of just one. This one also didn't come with its own track section: any HO-scale conventional track section would usually fit.
Of course, there were more imitators of the Tyco version...
There was Bachmann's version, which also used dual gates. It was also included with some of their sets like The Rock and The Centennial.
Prototype version from a 1976 Bachmann catalog. The signals themselves look more like the Tyco versions than the version Bachmann actually offered.
There was also a unique version here from 1979, where a small mechanical bell was housed in a little shack on the base, and small incandescent lights were included in the signals, along with pressure sensors wired to the base so the train could set off the lights and bells before it actually gets to the crossing track section. It was actually even more unrealistic than just the wobbly gate motion; the lights just blinked on and off really fast without the alternating effect you expect from crossing signals and the bell would ding super fast.
Bachmann currently still offers it as an EZ-Track version. There is also a version with a white (snow) base, and a version with the small shack on the base (leftover from the version with the bell and lights, but without the bell in the shack, it is merely a decoration.)
Life-Like then hopped on the crossing gate bandwagon in 1978 with their own version:
Again, it is like a copy of the Tyco version (the signal itself looks very similar, but the gate has yellow stripes,) but with additional decorations on the base (like the signs and fence) to make it stand out more. In its early years, it was called the Woodberry crossing gate. Like the Tyco and Bachmann versions, this accessory was also very popular, and was also included in some of Life-Like's train sets (like the Trail King and the Thunderball Hauler.) This accessory is still available today.
Life-Like also offers a Power-Loc version with dual gates, similar to the Bachmann version. This is also included with some of Life-Like's mid-range train sets, like the Rail Runner, the Thundering Rails and the Freight Runner (formerly the Super Power Charger), and in their higher-end offerings like the Freightline USA, the Double Train Express and the Diesel Driver (formerly the Railroad Empire.)
There are also crossing gates that imitate the Tyco model from AHM, Model Power and Pemco (the latter's looks even more like the Tyco version than other companies' have!)
Tyco also offered an interesting gateless variation in 1980, where the signal has flashing alternating lights, and a small bell that is powered by a wind-up switch inside a crate:
Again, like Bachmann's flashing crossing gate accessory, this one has the bell ringing sort of fast and the lights blink unusually fast too, but at least they alternate realistically. In 1982, they offered just the signal with lights attached to a small track section, but they did not alternate when flashing.
