On 02/26/2017 09:33 PM, Ken Hockenberry wrote:
In the basement staircase of my older home (inside my attached garage) I want to eliminate a 3 way switch at the end of a circuit, and install a light fixture near the switch I want to remove - at the bottom of this staircase.

When I removed the cover from this switch I found 4 blue wires, one of them marked with black tape. The 3 way switch itself is very old (circa 1959) with four brass screws, two at the top and two at the bottom.

Can I eliminate this switch, and install a needed light fixture, using these 4 blue wires from this switch?

The switch at the top of the steps is the switch which has power coming into it.



Rather than me trying to explain the wiring, if you google you can find
the diagram but what you describe is not a three way switch.

A three way switch is single pole double throw.


What you have is a four way switch...the other two switches would be the
three way type.

If you have a total of two switches than I don't know what you have
there...so you need to trace out the wires.