Gentlemen (and ladies),
I have made a significant purchase of Atlas Custom-Line Code 100 #6 turn-outs and, naturally, they have since come out with DCC ready turn-outs. Can anyone give me the best source for learning how to wire these turn-outs without having to go to a DCC ready turn-out? I have found many articles but I want to be sure I do it right with the correct instructions. Who has the easiest for follow instructions, please?
Thanks for your help.
Little Layout Enthusiast
Kalmbach (MR publisher) has several books on wiring layouts. I have some of the early ones of these turnouts. On the ones that have rivets that hold the point rails in place, I drilled a whole through the rivets and raodbed. I then soldered a feeder wire from each rivet to the corrrect wire on the track bus. I have no problems with stalling sound equiped loco's. I use ground throw's on my layout. If the frogs are metal, there should be a round piece of metal on both sides of the frog. You hook up a feeder to one of these and a switch machine that has a built in SPDT switch such as a Tortuse. This powers the frog. Hope this helps. Joe
Little Layout Enthusiest I have made a significant purchase of Atlas Custom-Line Code 100 #6 turn-outs and, naturally, they have since come out with DCC ready turn-outs. Can anyone give me the best source for learning how to wire these turn-outs without having to go to a DCC ready turn-out?....
I have made a significant purchase of Atlas Custom-Line Code 100 #6 turn-outs and, naturally, they have since come out with DCC ready turn-outs. Can anyone give me the best source for learning how to wire these turn-outs without having to go to a DCC ready turn-out?....
I've never understood what specific characteristics make a turnout "DCC-ready". Or even more intriguing - what are the characteristics of a turnout that is not "DCC-ready"? Even the oldest power-routing Shinohara turnouts with the metal bar linking the 2 points together are successfully used on DCC layouts with a better than 80% success rate.
All Atlas Custom-Line turnouts from the beginning of time followed "best wiring practices" for DCC with one exception - the frog is not powered. The unpowered frog is apparently not an issue for 2 truck dismal (diesel) modelers, but those of us who run 0-4-0T switchers need powered frogs. Doesn't matter whether one uses DC or DCC. Some Atlas Custom Line turnouts have provision for powering the frog by attaching a wire to a strip or screw by the frog.
So unless you have short wheelbase locomotives with limited power pickup length, your Atlas turnouts are good to go without modification. If you want to power the frog, you need 1) a metal frog with a wire running from the frog to an electrical contact; 2a) an electrical contact to change the frog's polarity when the turnout is thrown; 2b) use a Frog Juicer to power the frog.
hope this helps
Fred W
Atlas turnouts are fully "dcc ready" and "dcc friendly". No modifications needed. One key is that the points are insulated from one another, and always maintain the polarity of the adjacent stock rail, even on the open side. That way, and back to back contact will not cause a short. That is the main item in any "dcc friendly" list of features. Atlas turnouts also have a completely insulated frog, so there should be no issues there. You might want to power the frog with switch motor contacts or something like a Frog Juicer, especially if you run many small short wheelbase locos, as the longer #6 frog might result in loss of contact vs a smaller #4.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks, Joe. I too have ground throws for my switches. That's why I was wondering about correct wiring practices.
Jim
You mean your LPPs have to climb off of the locomotive and walk over to a switch stand and move the points by hand?
How Un-LION-like!
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Sure! Haven't you seen the movie "Unstoppable?"
That only happens if the LPP forgets to wait out the setup delay to engage dynamics, and then the mysterious ghost LPP moves the throttle lever to Run 8.
Shame, the real story was pretty interesting in and of itself, but since there weren't any big explosions and feats of daring-do, it wouldn't have made a good movie.
Make it even more interesting - have it be a mainline turnout that's locked, so while the idiot fumbled around with his switch lock key, the loco ran away.
Okay Randy. You're hired to be the next screenwriter for "Unstoppable 2 - The Sequel" I have to admit, while the movie was probably flawed in many areas, I did enjoy the in-the-cab scenes as I've never been inside a modern Diesel. I've got to get up to Union, Illinois this spring or summer.
I have been to the Train Museum in Green Bay , Wisconsin and enjoyed the "Big Boy" they have there. It's unbelievable!