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turnout switches

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  • Member since
    January 2013
  • 18 posts
Posted by ace24 on Monday, February 25, 2013 7:57 AM

My layout is set-up so if I want to run dc I throw the toggle switch up for dc or if I want to run dcc I throw the toggle switch down for dcc.This switch is double pole and double throw. thank you very much.ace24

  • Member since
    January 2013
  • 18 posts
Posted by ace24 on Friday, February 22, 2013 1:53 PM

I have a double pole , double throw toggle switch for my lay-out. thank you very much.ACE24

  • Member since
    April 2009
  • From: Staten Island NY
  • 1,734 posts
Posted by joe323 on Friday, February 22, 2013 12:06 PM
My layout is DC and DCC.

I think he means the track power is DCC and the turnouts are analog that is run off a regular dc power pack. This is quite common especially if you upgrade an existing layout to DCC. If the switches are already wired to the AC or DC terminals of say an old train set power pack and they are working I would leave ir be.

Joe Staten Island West 

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,481 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, February 21, 2013 7:08 PM

If you have Peco turnouts, the easiest way to remote them is to use Peco switch machines.  Peco turnouts have a built-in spring which holds the points solidly against the stock rails.  The Peco switch machines are designed with enough power to overcome the spring tension and flip the points over.  For any other machines, you would need to physically remove the springs.

The extra power comes at a price.  You need more power to drive Peco machines than, say, Atlas machines.  The solution for that is a capacitive discharge (CD) circuit.  You can buy one, or you can make your own.  It's 2 resistors and 2 capacitors, basically, so it's only a couple of dollars worth of parts even at Radio $hack.

Peco machines mount from under the turnout, so they do require a hole in the layout for the machine to fit in.  You need to mount them on the turnout before you install it.  When I do mine, I put a piece of light cardboard between the machine and the turnout so that I can paint and ballast over it without having stuff get into the machine.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Thursday, February 21, 2013 6:43 PM

ace24

...my  layout is dc and dcc...

Could you describe your setup?  On the face of it, you should not be doing what you are doing...DC and DCC don't generally mix on the same layout unless the two run separate routes between which no track access is possible unless isolated with toggles.

ace24

 I have turn-outs that I can not reach with my hand'.please help me with diagrams or pictures please. thank you  very much.i have 5 turn-outs that  is out fo my reach.. ace24

What you cannot reach you cannot manipulate, correct, repair, or replace.  Either create better access or placement, or redesign your track plan entirely.  Seriously, you must have regular and ready access to all the track system.  Even hidden trackage needs periodic access, even when you know it's bullet-proof.  Turnouts that are hard to reach will at the least require turnout machines of one kind or another, or remote-control cables or rods.

When you ask about 'hook-up", do you mean activation and control devices, such as the Tortoise, or do you mean electrical, or do you mean whether or not to use joiners?

  • Member since
    January 2013
  • 18 posts
turnout switches
Posted by ace24 on Thursday, February 21, 2013 5:36 PM

What is the cheapest way to hook-up peco insulat turn-outs. my  layout is dc and dcc. I have turn-outs that I can not reach with my hand'.please help me with diagrams or pictures please. thank you  very much.i have 5 turn-outs that  is out fo my reach.. ace24

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