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Reversing district loco operation

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  • Member since
    April 2008
  • 64 posts
Reversing district loco operation
Posted by misterconsister on Thursday, April 17, 2008 4:00 AM

I am new to DCC and have a question about reversing districts.  If I have a loco in a reversing district (D1) and it is about to cross into the former track it is looping back on (D2) (separated by insulators on both rails) and the automatic reverser is going to change the phase in D2 once the loco shorts across the insulated and separated rails, what happens to any other loco I'm operating in D2?  Does it reverse?  Is it "out of phase" (if that's possible)?  Does it cough and jerk?  Anything?

 Thanks for your answers.  I'm just getting back into this after a 35 year hiatus, boy has it changed! And for the better!

 Eric 

I'm kinda likin this stuff

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, April 17, 2008 6:30 AM

If your "reversing district" D1 is connected to the output of the auto-reverse unit, then that's the one whose phase will flip, not D2.

But, it doesn't really matter.  The phase flip does not affect DCC locomotives at all, at least not that I've been able to see.  I use a Tony's Trains solid-state reverser, and the transition is seamless at both ends of the reversing section, even for sound engines.

The one thing that will not work with an auto-reverser is a DC-only engine running as Engine Zero.  In this configuration, the DC engine is phase-sensitive, and it will either reverse or short out when it gets to the second transition.

Oh, and welcome aboard!  I just noticed your post count.  Glad to have you with us.

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

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