My YMCA Friend's train also include a Lionel #394 Rotary Beacon. Since I have many planes above, I had to find a place for it. The beacon is operated by a finned top over a dimpled bulb. If and when the bulb gets hot enough, the heat rises through the fins, which causes the beacon to rotate. Since this seldom works, I decided to put it near the wall in the winter area by the Helix, and use a lower voltage to power it so it would not light up the wall.
This was another fun project. It's at the back of the layout, so to drill holes for the wires, and position the tower, I had to climb on the layout and stretch to the max. Then I had to crawl under the layout, and run the wires using an access hole that was almost large enough for my head and 1 arm. After I got the wires pushed through the plywood, I had to climb back over the layout and stretch to connect the wires to the tower. Then back underneath to determine which voltage to connect the power to, and add another ground wire to the power strip. For this one, I did not add a switch, which simplified it a little. Another piece of cake.
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