Spring switches might be advisable if the wye is located at the end of a branch and used to turn locomotives or single-ended cars (RPO with one blind end or business cars.)
A single spring switch might be used if the wye has a short tail track and only turns locomotives.
A wye that connects a 160 mile branchline to a station siding in the approximate middle of a 650 mile through route probably should not have any spring switches. In fact, it should probably be a full-scale interlocking area.
It all depends on the traffic pattern and frequency of service.
Getting back to a wye turnout, the equilateral 2-route type is symmetrical. The three way turnout with two routes curved in opposite directions from a straight route is not symmetrical. In fact, a three way can be built with two different number frogs in the curved routes.
A three way can also be built with two, or all three, routes curved in the same direction...
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with hand-laid custom designed specialwork)
southernglide Hello fellow railroaders. Moveing along slow but steady in my quest back into model RR. Since I'm still on the learning curve I have a question about wye track. Do these switch by themselves as the engine moves towards them or do they have to be switched (manually or electric) Much like turnouts.
Hello fellow railroaders. Moveing along slow but steady in my quest back into model RR. Since I'm still on the learning curve I have a question about wye track. Do these switch by themselves as the engine moves towards them or do they have to be switched (manually or electric) Much like turnouts.
Are you building your layout in DC or DCC?
Can you post a track plan for us to review?
Rich
Alton Junction
Thanks again everyone. I know somewhere down the line I'm going to mess up, just not wanting it to be to messy.
Southerglide,
Reverse loop for DCC using a AR (automatic reverser):
Any time a train or engine can pass through a stretch of track and re-enter it facing the other direction you are going to need gaps and something to reverse polarity.
On of the easiest and cheapest ways to wire a wye is if the tail track is a stub end track is to make the tail track the reversing section and use the mecahnism used to line the tail track switch as the method of reversing the polarity. You just make the polarity of the tail match which ever leg the switch is lined for.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Yes, you'll need insulating gaps for a loop, too. Basically, you have to isolate a section of track in any reversing section to allow for the polarity change needed.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Would insulators be nessessary to create a loop (turn around)?
We do, at times, "overload" the word "wye." Sometimes it means the physical Y-shaped turnout, and sometimes it means the entire arrangement of track with three turnouts, used for reversing a locomotive or a whole train. A wye track arrangement can be done without using a wye turnout.
If you use DCC, you can use an auto-reverser unit to handle the wye without manually throwing direction toggles.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
As Frank has indicated, a wye is just another type of turnout with a frog, point rails, and a throwbar.
Not all wye configurations require gaps (or insulated rail joiners) on the rails or a mechanism to avoid shorts resulting from reverse polarity. It all depends upon the configuration of the track connected to the two divergent routes on the wye.
Also if you don't what the hassle of wiring a DT/DP switch you can use Atlas 0220 controller.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
A Wye is a turnout, but rather than have one straight route and one diverging route, they are both sligthly curved to the same radius as in photo below. They may be manual, or electrically operated. The ones you may have seen on TV, are special turnouts, that wheel flanges will set when going one way.:
P.S. Watching railroading Alaska on Discovery America channel, Dishnetwork. Thanks, happy RRing :)