i replied to an existing thread that has had some views in the last few hours without any responses, so ill try to post here , below is the question and this is the thread i replied in earlier.
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/123298.aspx
pcarrell Yeah, it's definately doable. You just need something to flip the polarity of the rails for you. You see, as the tracks go around the loop they turn back on themselves, but now the inside rail becomes the outside rail, and vice versa. Since the polarities are different you'll have a short circuit there if you don't change the polarity if the exit rails from the loop area. There are lots of ways to do this. Are you using DC, or DCC?
Yeah, it's definately doable. You just need something to flip the polarity of the rails for you. You see, as the tracks go around the loop they turn back on themselves, but now the inside rail becomes the outside rail, and vice versa. Since the polarities are different you'll have a short circuit there if you don't change the polarity if the exit rails from the loop area. There are lots of ways to do this.
Are you using DC, or DCC?
i came upon a short circuit, then i seen the rails when back on themselves. i quickly disconnected and started my research
im also using DC only
i have some isolating connectors on order, they might take awhile, i live 400 miles from the store i had to order from.
do i isolate the wye connector from the rest of the rail?
how is the proper way to wire the loop?
thanks
jack
Believe me, it is quite straightforward. Look at the wye from the base running across it...the segment that is part of your main line. You look up and see the two sides meet and form a tail. You should gap either the left or the right side of the triangle between the two turnouts affording access to the side you choose. Pick one side of the triangle and gap each end. Then, wire it separately via either a DPDT or an auto reverser. The power can still come from your base controller or the bus, and it doesn't matter which wire goes to which rail, as long as you can control the polarity to make it match the polarity of the segment the train is leaving.
If you don't have to alter the polarity when it enters that segment, then you know you will have to alter it before the engine leaves that segment. That's the whole point...at one end it won't match unless you or the reverser corrects the inevitable mismatch.
-Crandell
Auto-reversers are generally for DCC only.
Are you talking about a "reverse loop," in which the train continues around a loop and ends up going in the opposite direction, without stopping or backing, or a "wye," where the train does what they call a 3-point turn in driving school? They do the same thing, but it's just a bit easier to describe where the insulating joiners go if we know which track plan you'll be using. (The confusing item is that a Y-shaped turnout is sometimes also referred to as a "wye" turnout, but in itself it does not constitute the same thing.)
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
yes i am using wye to create a reverse loop, to got back the way the train just came from, similar to a hangman's noose, in the above or below link someone drew a sketch, that is exactly what i have going on.
See if the following link helps you out: http://www.nmra.org/beginner/wiring.html
You'll need to scroll down to where they show the wye and loop diagrams as well as the double pole/double throw toggle switches everyone mentions.
Jack Hereryes i am using wye to create a reverse loop, to got back the way the train just came from, similar to a hangman's noose, in the above or below link someone drew a sketch, that is exactly what i have going on.
How do you currently control train direction on the rest of your layout? Are you using a direction switch built into your power pack? Is there one on your cab control? Or do you have something like one of the Atlas slide-switch boxes with 2 positions and a center off? Or is it just a toggle switch you've bought and wired into the circuit?
Basically, you're going to wire up another one of these that just controls the reverse loop. Insulate both rails of both paths of the turnout at the frog end. Wire the control toggle (it's a double-pole, double-throw (DPDT), center off toggle) to the loop.
Another information article from Allan Gartner's site, scroll down to the Automatic Balloon Track Control (what we are calling a reversing loop).
Alan
Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/
Doc in CT Another information article from Allan Gartner's site, scroll down to the Automatic Balloon Track Control (what we are calling a reversing loop). Alan
that link appears to be dead, ill search for mr. gartner though
Thank CSX, sometimes the link insert function doesn't.