This is what I did with my (here Peco) turnouts. Sure connections!
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
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jrbernier Is this DCC or DC?
Is this DCC or DC?
This is DCC. Sorry, I should've noted that.
I like two feeders per turnout soldered to the outside rails. I think I can handle that.
Some of the stuff I was reading had two feeders and four different jumpers or six feeders to different parts of the turnout, and I was getting totally mixed up.
Thanks Jim and Chuck for the advice.
tomikawaTTI don't have terminal strips under my turnouts. I bring the solid wire feeders out to terminal strips along the aisle, behind removable access panels in the fascia. Working on the electricals while seated in a comfortable chair in the aisleway beats the whatever out of standing on my head under the layout! (I also keep the switch machines in the same place, connected to the points by constant-tension cable linkages.)
Chuck, you are full of them (ideas)!! :-)
Would you have any pictures of your terminal board and switch machine setups?
And not to highjack the thread; would you have some pictures of the extensions you placed on your 16" shelf brackets we talked about in PM? Made out of steel I believe? I'm looking to copy that as well (no wheel inventing here).
Joe
For Atlas turnouts, the short answer is one feeder per stock (outside) rail, anywhere along its length.
I don't have terminal strips under my turnouts. I bring the solid wire feeders out to terminal strips along the aisle, behind removable access panels in the fascia. Working on the electricals while seated in a comfortable chair in the aisleway beats the whatever out of standing on my head under the layout! (I also keep the switch machines in the same place, connected to the points by constant-tension cable linkages.)
If the feeders are painted over with 'rail grunge' and the ballast is heaped around them, they become almost invisible.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Dave,
Is this DCC or DC? I have a feeder soldered to the outside rails of all my Atlas turnouts, and this is attached to the DCC 'bus' under the layout with IDC connectors I never 'trust' rail joiners to maintain good electrical contact. The Atlas turnouts are 'DCC Friendly' and will work fine with DC or DCC controlled layouts. Both routes are powered, and unless you are wiring for DC 'Cab Control' - insulated rail joiners are not required.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I will be using Atlas HO C83 Custom-Line turnouts. I've done a bunch of reading on this, but still not getting it. How many feeders and where are they attached? What does it look like under your bench - a terminal strip under each turnout or what?
Also for you guys that solder your feeders to the underside of your flex track rails, do you also solder to the underside of the turnout rails? If so, how the heck do you do that?
I know it's not recommended to solder the turnout to the adjacent flex track. All the pics that I've looked at on this forum and in the magazines, I've never noticed a feeder wire on a turnout. Is it magic?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated by this electrically-challenged newbie. Thanks.