There is nothing like working track-side equipment to enhance your model railway, and here’s how to make your own realistic level-crossing signs, complete with Raspberry Pi Pico controlled flashing lights – all built from scratch – and all for around £25! Phase 1: Building and coding the controller, based around a Raspberry Pi Pico WH, complete with buttons to activate the lighting sequence. Here, I’ll run through all the stages: wiring, set-up and the Micropython code required – which is all very doable, even for a relatively inexperienced programmer. Phase 2: Modelling the signs themselves using surface mounted LEDs, glued behind laminated ink-jet printed boards, internally cabled using fine enamelled wire fed down the post, which acts as a common negative. This is quite a challenging build, incorporating as it does the soldering of small electrical components, but not beyond the skills of more experienced modellers. As well as modern era signs, I’ve got a bonus for Rail Blue fans modelling the 1970s and 80s. You can download the complete code and a pdf of the sign for printing here: https://github.com/PaterPracticus/Level_Crossing_v1. This is quite a long video, with some quite detailed information, so feel free to skip about using these timecodes. Timecodes: 0:00 - Introduction 0:47 - Phase 1: THE CONTROLLER 0:56 - Wiring the Raspberry Pi Pico 3:00 - Pico set up 4:10 - Basic coding for the light sequence 7:53 - Adding the buttons 9:48 - Coding for the buttons 12:18 - Saving the program as main.py 12:34 - Phase 2: MODELLING THE SIGNS 12:39 - Building the scale prototype 13:38 - Surface mounted LEDs 15:42 - Wiring and testing 16:44 - Building the final design 16:50 - Designing and printing the signs 18:05 - Assembly 19:28 - Fitting the LEDs 20:46 - Filling between the LEDs 21:34 - Wiring the signs 21:40 - Making and wiring the post 22:14 - The base of the post 22:53 - Soldering the LEDs 25:42 - Soldering the base 26:25 - Making the light hoods 28:39 - Mounting on the layout 29:39 - Completing all four signs 30:00 - Final wiring to the controller 31:45 - Finishing touches - detailing the base 32:05 - Tweaking the code 32:56 - ‘Keep Crossing Clear’ and detailing the base 33:29 - Adapting for the 1970s and 80s Components price list: RaspberryPi Pico WH - £7.20 Breadboard - £3.00 Buttons - about £2.00 for 10 10x Red LEDs - £2.79 10x Orange LEDs - £2.79 Brass Strip - £1.74 Brass Tube - £1.69 Enamelled wire - £1.68 Controller and 4 signs £22.89 Not costed: jumper cables, test LEDs, Veroboard, paper/acetate, heat-shrink tubing, decoder wires and some P&P.