Is using frog juicers on Atlas insulated frog turnouts possible? I know they make a switch for it but the wiring for the switch creates more issues. Suggestions?
Dave
What do you mean by "insulated frog" turnouts? Plastic frogs, like Snap Switches? Then no, you can't power plastic frogs. Customline turnouts can be controlled with a frog juicer. Those frogs are metal, but they are insulated from the rest of the turnout.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
With Atlas Customline turnouts, there is a small tab on the frog, but it has just a hole in it. It's not tapped. I tap threads for 1-72 1/8" long brass machine screws. I set the turnout in place and mark where to drill the hole for the wire to power the frog. I don't use frog juicers. I use toggle switches until I install Tortoise switch machines, then let the switch machine control the frog polarity.
Once the turnout is in place, painted, weathered and ballasted, I touch-up the head of the screw with the same color paint I paint the track with. Note: I mask off any electrical contact and moving points with narrow strips of masking tape to keep paint from getting in those points.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR