Hi. I'm starting to build my HO switch yard using Peco code 83 electrofrog switches. This yard is a 'standard' ladder using #6 right hand switches.
Do I have to isolate each switch in the ladder and provide power to each switch individually? Or can I just join all the switches in one run and power at one end?
Thanks in advance!
Barry
Barry:
Peco turnouts are power routing. If you are talking about track power and have a stub end yard (turnouts at only one end), then you only need to power the track from in front of the first turnout. If your yard is double ended then gaps on both rails at both ends of any section that could be feed from both ends is necessary, with feeders and block controlers for each block.
If you are using DCC then I have no knowledge, so ignore this.
Dave
Thanks Dave
After posting I set up my turnouts and powered from one end and it all worked OK. The ladder is stub ended so one power source from the start end is sufficient.
Yes, DCC and all worked fine.
Thanks again.
Barry,
Just out of curiosity, when you say "one power source from the start end is sufficient", where is the "start end"?
Are you referring to the turnout on the mainline leading into the yard?
Rich
Alton Junction
Rich,For my needs I use no feeders on any of my track and a DCC layout will have no need to have a feeder on each yard track.One of the joys of DCC is the elimination of excessive feeders--aka wiring overkill..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
That wasn't the point of my question. Had the OP wired the ends of each stub track, then he would have needed to gap the inside rails of each yard turnout. Power routing saved the day and avoided the short by wiring at the "start end".
As for DC versus DCC, a live wire is a live wire, so either way, power routing alone will not prevent a short if the yard tracks are powered from the stub end.
richhotrain That wasn't the point of my question. Had the OP wired the ends of each stub track, then he would have needed to gap the inside rails of each yard turnout. Power routing saved the day and avoided the short by wiring at the "start end". As for DC versus DCC, a live wire is a live wire, so either way, power routing alone will not prevent a short if the yard tracks are powered from the stub end. Rich
Just before the points of the very first turnout leading into the yard DC/DCC. With power routing turnouts. You only have power to the track that the points are set to. Only will work on a stub end yard.
Frank
If you think it through, the diverging route leading to the ladder is only going to be powered if that route is lined at the turnout leading off the drill track or A/D track, however you have it configured back down there, still out of the ladder. So, if he points are lined for through, then your ladder is entirely unpowered. No sound, no movement on any track or turnout granting access there-to.
Once you line the diverging route, with the points thrown that way, the power-routing now sends power up through each turnout and beyond to its stub-end, provided those turnouts have their points thrown. If you want any action on more than one ladder track, say with two or three switchers moving at once, or even neutral/idling sounds, you will have to have something more. The reason is that if the first ladder turnout encountered is power-routing, and it is thrown to power its own track, there will be no power getting to the subsequent turnouts up the ladder, and no movement or sounds will be possible beyond that first turnout. If you think throwing all turnouts to the diverging route will power all ladder stubs at once, how will that be possible if the very first ladder turnout, a power-routing once, is also thrown? What if you have two switchers working at the same time in the ladder, one on track 1 and the other on track 3? As soon as you diverge to track 1, anything else beyond it must go unpowered.
This is not to say it's not entirely what you would like. I mean only to suggest that if you wish to have concurrent activity on any of the stubs beyond the first stub to which access is provided by a power routing turnout of ANY description, you must feed the stubs. They will back-feed their partner turnouts. How that will affect DC I am uncertain, but for DCC it shouldn't be a problem.
-Crandell
Hi Rich it's the first turnout from the main. This is isolated from the main and has it's own power.
selector If you think it through, the diverging route leading to the ladder is only going to be powered if that route is lined at the turnout leading off the drill track or A/D track, however you have it configured back down there, still out of the ladder. So, if he points are lined for through, then your ladder is entirely unpowered. No sound, no movement on any track or turnout granting access there-to. Once you line the diverging route, with the points thrown that way, the power-routing now sends power up through each turnout and beyond to its stub-end, provided those turnouts have their points thrown. If you want any action on more than one ladder track, say with two or three switchers moving at once, or even neutral/idling sounds, you will have to have something more. The reason is that if the first ladder turnout encountered is power-routing, and it is thrown to power its own track, there will be no power getting to the subsequent turnouts up the ladder, and no movement or sounds will be possible beyond that first turnout. If you think throwing all turnouts to the diverging route will power all ladder stubs at once, how will that be possible if the very first ladder turnout, a power-routing once, is also thrown? What if you have two switchers working at the same time in the ladder, one on track 1 and the other on track 3? As soon as you diverge to track 1, anything else beyond it must go unpowered. This is not to say it's not entirely what you would like. I mean only to suggest that if you wish to have concurrent activity on any of the stubs beyond the first stub to which access is provided by a power routing turnout of ANY description, you must feed the stubs. They will back-feed their partner turnouts. How that will affect DC I am uncertain, but for DCC it shouldn't be a problem. -Crandell
Hi Crandell
Absolutely right.
(I have DCC by the way.....)
The ladder is stub ended. So, no branches from the ladder are connected to any other track beyond each point switch.
The ladder is isolated from the main and powered seperately from the first point after the isolation, so the power will feed the ladder independently of the main switch. Therefore, the ladder can be operated even when the turnout from the main is switched ahead or to the ladder.
The power from the lead switch on the ladder will only power the switches on the selected route. Therefore, the last selected point switch will have power to that turnout but not beyond that point.
So, another switcher cannot be used beyond that point as there will be no power available.
If I wanted to use multiple switchers I will need to power each turnout on the ladder.
Hope this describes it!
Thanks
Were it me, I would gap all of the Electrofrogs on the inner rails beyond the frogs, so that I could wire the yard ladder.
Without power to the yard, while the first turnout is set to the mainline, you cannot operate any switcher locos in the yard, if that matters.
First off - I would never use an Electro Frog turnout!
I much prefer that each section of track had a Drop Wire and is powered directly from a Bus Wire!
Case in point - I have been helping build a layout using c83 track and we were testing the track prior to putting in the drop wires!
All of the track is soldered at the rail jointers so it was easy to run a train on the new track.
The first train ran fine and we were testing several others and I was adjusting the last sections of track that had not been nailed down yet.
I had inadvertainly placed a quart paint can on the track clear at the end of the line from the main feed furtherest from the old section of Layout.
The engine that was running fine around the older section of track BUT as it progressed further along the new track (with no drop wires) the engine kept getting slower and slower and it finally just stopped with the speep on the throttle wide open!
We stood there wondering why as just minutes before the engine ran just fine in the new section!
I then remembered about the paint can (metal bottom) and removed it from the track!
Suddenly the engine began moving again.
ISN'T the DCC Circuit Breaker supposed to TRIP when a metal can of paint is sitting on the track???
It will - IF the Track is wired with drops to the MAIN BUS - BUT we didn't have them in YET!
The track resistance was just enough to run a small engine but the Metal Paint Can Bottom would not cause a dead short becaues to the distance from the Old section to layout with the Power Feeds!
The distance was about 50 feet !
So NOT feeding each section for Flex Track with a Drop Wire is just asking for touble and in our case could have cause a fire due to the heat build up at the metal paint can!
One can NEVER EVER have too many Drop Wires!
Although TOO Many Layouts are wired with TOO FEW and then the Owner stands around wondering WHY his Trains won't run right!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
There is a considerable difference between 50' to a feeder and feeders to every track section. One can test the adequacy/safety of trackwork with judiciously placed feeders vs. "feeders, feeders everywhere" by the simple quarter test.
Dante