Peco Turnouts and track power???

[Meyblc]

I have just finished tearing up my entire freight yard and replacing all of the track and turnouts with Peco code 83 turnouts and Peco code 83 flex track. What I had torn out was Atlas track and turnouts. Now that all of my new track work is complete, I went ahead and re-soldered all of the original power wires to the sides of the rail. With my old Atlas track and turnouts, the locations of my power drops were sufficient to power the emtire yard.

before trying to run a train on my new track, I took my trusty multi-meter and check track voltage. What I found is that some sections of track were getting 15 volts (DCC system) and others were not getting any power. I also noticed that different pieces of track would get power depending on which direction the Peco turnout was thrown.

What's up with that? Can someone explain to me how these Peco turnouts work as far as allowing power routing?

Michael

[Jetrock]

There are two types of Peco turnouts: "Electrofrog" and "Insulfrog." The "Insulfrog" route power based on which way the turnout is thrown, the "Electrofrog" do not.

[Meyblc]

I have the Insulfrog turnouts. So what you are saying is that the power is only going to be live in the direction that the turnout is thrown?

For DCC operations I thought you want all the track to be powered all the time? Do I now have to drop power feeds to both legs of a Peco turnout then to get all the track powered?

[Anonymous]

Yes you do. I did the same thing in an industrial area on my layout except I used code 100 products. Each stretch of track needs to be powered. Also on the inside leg of the diverging route on the Peco turnouts in situations like a run around track you might want to use an insulated rail joiner. Once these steps were taken it has been great. No stalling out on the turnouts because of loose rivets on the point rails like with Atlas.
I kept the Atlas flex track in the interest of my wallet, but the Peco turnouts were worth it.

Cheers,

Ed

[cacole]

And when you solder power feeds to all of the rails, you must put an insulated rail joiner in the rails that converge at the frog, or you will be creating short circuits.

Consider this: a train is entering the turnout from the points end. For illustration purposes, the turnout is set for the train to go straight through. Think of the right-hand rail as being positive, and the left negative (a carryover from DC block control).

If you have feeder wires to the diverging route, the right hand rail is going to be positive at the frog, but the points are touching the left hand rail and feeding negative current to the frog -- an instant short circuit.

Now throw the turnout so the train will take the diverging route. The polarity of the rails leading away from the frog changes according to which outside rail the points are touching; so now, the frog and those two rails are both positive, but your left-hand rail on the straight route is wired as negative. Again, an electrical short.

So put insulated rail joiners on both of the rails that lead away from the frog, and solder feeder wires to the track beyond the joint.

[jkeaton]

In short:
Insulfrog turnouts - great for DC, extra work for DCC
Electrofrog turnouts - great for DCC, extra work for DC (if you want isolated sidings)

Peco is great. But you have to know what you're buying...

Jim