Hi TS,
Depends how far into the loop your siding starts, if it's close to where the tracks split I'd feed it from the split (feed the yard separately), with the loop starting after the point (switch) . Your loop really only starts after the point where you will need some kind of isolation between it's frog and the frog at the split. Hope i read you right and this helps.
Be in touch.
pick
I've got a similar arangement for my staging yard although my yard is double ended.
I have my yard wired paralell to my mainline, the reverse loop is on a reverser.
Warning: My layout isn't in operating form yet, still have to install all my feeders
Modeling the Cleveland and Pittsburgh during the PennCentral era starting on the Cleveland lakefront and ending in Mingo junction
I have a similar situation. It's best to wire the yard and the reverse loop together, all on the AR.
You never want to put two ARs together. They will ping-pong trying to keep the polarities matched.
The only reason to put the yard on the main power would be to avoid the power limits of the AR. But, ARs today put out plenty of power, and should easily handle both the loop and the yard.
Here's a question, though, for those more knowledgable than I: Can you put a circuit breaker inside a reverser-protected zone? I think it would work, but I'm not sure how a circuit breaker would like being fed by a power source which flips polarity occasionally, and how it would work with occasional shorts on its input.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
This was a great idea, works like a charm! many thanks...
MisterBeasley I have a similar situation. It's best to wire the yard and the reverse loop together, all on the AR. You never want to put two ARs together. They will ping-pong trying to keep the polarities matched. The only reason to put the yard on the main power would be to avoid the power limits of the AR. But, ARs today put out plenty of power, and should easily handle both the loop and the yard. Here's a question, though, for those more knowledgable than I: Can you put a circuit breaker inside a reverser-protected zone? I think it would work, but I'm not sure how a circuit breaker would like being fed by a power source which flips polarity occasionally, and how it would work with occasional shorts on its input.
No, it needs to be the other way around, breaker feeding the autoreverse. If you put the breaker after the autoreverse, the breaker will be tripping instead of the autoreverser. And if you set delay times such that the reverser trips first, it will do so on a short as well. For those reversers that aren;t also breakers, you put the breaker first, then the autorevers, so the first thing that happens is the reverser tries to fix the problem, it it's still a short, then the breaker trips and saves the train and the reverser.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy, how do you wire that setup? Does the input side of the auto-reverser draw its power from the circuit breaker?
Rich
Alton Junction
Yes, that's pretty standard, prior to the PS-AR and PSX-AR, most things were autoreverser or circuit breakers, but not both.
rrinkerNo, it needs to be the other way around, breaker feeding the autoreverse. If you put the breaker after the autoreverse, the breaker will be tripping instead of the autoreverser.
That's not quite the configuration I was thinking of, but in reading my own question I realize that I didn't make myself very clear.
I'm thinking of a reverse loop with a yard inside. The autoreverser would protect the ends of the loop, and also feed the circuit breaker which would handle the yard, which would be isolated but would not experience polarity flips on the track side. I was just wondering if the circuit breaker would handle polarity flips at its input. It's kind of an academic question, because few layouts have this kind of configuration with a yard too big for the power an autoreverser can handle.
I think I had the component order the same way you are trying describe though.
So you have a reverse loop - standard old balloon loop, insulated at the turnout, all track int he loop powered from an autoreverser - standard stuff, works great.
Now you are saying, off the loop, run a lead track and yard. Insulated joiners at the turnout on the lead track. All yard feeders tot he output of a circuit breaker. Input of the circuit breaker connected to the output of the autoreverser.
I'm still not sure that would work. The yard could be powered fromthe main, creating a third interface where there might need to be a phase change, that would mean a train couldn;t leave the yard and enter the loop at the same time another train is entering or exiting the loop. I'm thinking I would just try to avoid this sort of track arrangment in the first place, but newer autoreversers can handle 5+ amps so there's really no reason why the yard can;t just flip phase with the rest of it. Only problem I see is if it was an engine terminal, with lots of sound locos parked there. The reverser may not recover fast enought o prevent a lurch in a train entering or exiting the loop. Way to avoid it altogether, at least if it's just a simple loop with a yard in it, would be to use switch machine contacts to power a heavy duty relay with DPDT contacts. Prevent the short rather than react to it.
thinkstormThis was a great idea, works like a charm! many thanks...
Ok, same problem/challenge for me Thinkstorm, now please let me know which of the ideas/solutions "works like a charm".
Thanks
CDN Dennis
Modeling the HO scale something or other RR in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies Alberta, Canada
MisterBeasleyYou never want to put two ARs together. They will ping-pong trying to keep the polarities matched.
MisterBeasley,
The PSX-AR advertises a fairly new feature 'Double Reverse Mode' which addresses this issue. See http://dccspecialties.com/products/pdf/man_psxar.pdf page 12 for more info.
Regards,
Dave
From Mt Pleasant, Utah, the home of the Hill Valley and Thistle Railroad where the Buffalo still roam and a Droid runs the trains
Ups, sorry: I now have the AR loop start after the Yard turnout and wired the yard and turnout same polarity as the rest of the main (but on a separate block). the AR loop got insignificantly shorter, totally fine for me. I want to be able to clear the main + yard turnout anyways, so no longer trains than the AR loop from yard back to main anyways either.
chochowillie thinkstormThis was a great idea, works like a charm! many thanks... Ok, same problem/challenge for me Thinkstorm, now please let me know which of the ideas/solutions "works like a charm". Thanks