Marx Switches

[elvisp]

Thanks to everyone for your help.

[cpsteamer]

There are some circuit drawings for Marx switches and controllers midway down this page:

 

http://www.thortrains.net/marstart.html

 

ken

[servoguy]

Let me make a further suggestion.  Make a simple circuit drawing of what you are trying to do and verify it with a meter or with information from Bob Nelson or some other knowledgeable person.  A picture of what you are trying to do will make things much clearer than trying to figure it out in your head.  

Bruce Baker

[lionelsoni]

Let me try it again, assuming you are replacing a Lionel 1122 or 5122 with a Marx with a plastic switch-machine cover.

Connect the middle terminal of the Marx turnout to the center rail.  (If you want to power the Marx turnout from an accessory voltage that shares a return with the outside rails of the track, connect the middle terminal of the Marx turnout to that accessory voltage instead of the center rail.)  Connect the controller wire that you would have connected to the Lionel-turnout terminal closest to the switch machine to the outside rails instead.  Connect the other two controller wires each to one of the other two terminals of the Marx turnout.

[elvisp]

Thanks Bob. Sorry to try and simplify this but I just want to make sure I understand this correctly. I am not to good at wiring items on my layout. The Lionel switches are track powered and the Marx require power from a transformer or separate wiring to the track? Therefore if using Lionel controllers, you have to "add" power from the track or a transformer?

The Lionel controller has three wires. One wire goes to the center rail and the first post of the switch. Another goes to the outer rail and the last post. The remaining wire goes to the middle post?

[lionelsoni]

Yes, but with different wiring.

A Lionel turnout has three terminals.  Two of them are connected to the two switch-machine solenoids.  The third one is connected inside the turnout to the outside rails.  The other ends of the solenoids are connected inside the turnout to the center rail.  The controller simply connects one or the other of the solenoids to the outside-rail terminal momentarily to throw the turnout.

The third terminal on the Marx turnout is not connected to the outside rails as it would be with a Lionel turnout.  So you must connect that wire of the controller cable to the outside rails, or to the transformer terminal that is connected to the outside rails.  The third terminal of the Marx turnout is the connection to the other ends of the solenoids.  You must connect that to the center rail, or to the transformer terminal that is connected to the center rail.  You can instead connected it to an accessory voltage that shares a common return with the track transformer, to keep the turnout active when the train is stopped.

Almost everyone who uses Marx turnouts finds that it is necessary to add a guard rail on the curved path, opposite the frog.  You can glue this on; but I prefer to solder it.

[elvisp]

Can you use Lionel or K-Line controllers with remote Marx switches?