Even as ignorant as I am about these things, I grasp that frog juicers are going to be useful for me (I've already made the decision to spend the money rather than take the time to improve contact another way). And I understand that I'm essentially putting the juicer in between my power bus and the frog. What I'd appreciate hearing about from you experts is exactly where to solder the single wire on the frog. I'm sorry I don't know how to put up a drawing, but let's assume we all know what a frog looks like; mine are Micro Engineering. My turnouts are in place, for the most part, so I'm planning to drill a hole right next to the frog and solder the wire coming from the juicer. Where would you put that hole (and solder joint)? Or would you drill through the frog and attach the wire there? Or does it matter? Thanks for weighing in.
EROSEBUD,
On your ME.turnout,right under the frog,there is a button,that you are supposed to be able to solder a wire to..All of the people I have spoke with,,were not able to do that successfully,,it is a casting that is difficult to solder to,or for that matter drill through,,,,,Hopefully someone here on the Forum's was able to get a solution..Sorry I don't..
Good Luck!!
Cheers,
Frank
erosebudMy turnouts are in place, for the most part, so I'm planning to drill a hole right next to the frog and solder the wire coming from the juicer. Where would you put that hole (and solder joint)? Or would you drill through the frog and attach the wire there? Or does it matter?
It doesn't matter where the wire goes, as long as you get it secured. I haven't juiced any ME frog castings, but hear it can be done with plenty of flux and a good hot soldering iron. The castings don't like to take solder readily from what I've seen, and it's easy to ruin the turnout by overheating the frog.
Rob Spangler
I drill a hole for a # 24 solid wire (phone wire),on the outside of one of the frog rails, push striped wire up hole, bend a right angle less than an eighth of inch, solder on the flat side of the rail. I get frog power from contacts on the Tortoise mach..Hope this helps.
.................or, you could simply not power the frog.
Do you really need to?
Rich
Alton Junction
Hi,No you do not have to wire the frog to track power.If you do not wire the frog rails(POWER ROUTEING) the only way they can get current to the rails is where the point rail touches the stock rail so as long as you know they are always going to touch very goodly, don't bother.I have powered all 40+ on my layout.
Rich raises the important question. Unless you have very short wheelbase pickup on a loco (e.g., 0-4-0) that would stall or hesitate on an unpowered frog, there is no need to use a Frog Juicer to energize the frog with the correct polarity. I did so but only with certain insulated frogs that were too long for some of my motive power.
My turnouts are Walthers/Shinohara and I simply connected the Frog Juicer wire to the guardrail adjacent to (and electrically one) with the frog. I don't know if that would work with an ME frog-you could test to find out if the guardrail and frog are electrically connected.
Dante
danteMy turnouts are Walthers/Shinohara and I simply connected the Frog Juicer wire to the guardrail adjacent to (and electrically one) with the frog. I don't know if that would work with an ME frog-you could test to find out if the guardrail and frog are electrically connected.
ME frogs are one-piece castings that include the wing rails.
I appreciate all the interest, and apologize for not making my motive clear in my original post: I do in fact have a short(ish)-wheelbase loco, and every so often it stalls on a turnout. I'm trying very hard to apply the advice of the experts to this layout, and especially with regard to "bulletproof" wiring and trackwork. A stall "every so often" is just too many, and I thought ten bucks for a fix (a juicer) was cheap compared to the alternatives (such as modifying the pickup), given my limited skills and time.
So yes, Rich, I think I need to take this step. Dante's suggestion about wiring the frog and the guardrail seems to be answered by Rob in the negative, unless I'm confused by the terms "guardrail" and "wing rail." Now, of course, I'm nervous about ruining a turnout with my soldering on the cast frog. I'll be asking the Micro Engineering folks for advice on that score. I also usually buy at least one turnout too many, giving me a spare to learn on.
In the FWIW department: I was especially distressed at the stalling of my Spectrum 4-4-0, and as I looked more closely, I could see that the wheels were being lifted off the rail a bit. Examining the turnout revealed nothing suspicious. Looking more closely still at slow speeds, I discovered that one of the sanding lines had become disconnected from its brace, and (especially when reversing) the little piece of Delrin was catching in the turnout and was rigid enough to lift the whole loco! I repositioned the line with some glue, first giving it a little circumcision to be on the safe side, and that problem went away. Perhaps this will help some frustrated modeler.
erosebud...unless I'm confused by the terms "guardrail" and "wing rail."
The guard rail is adjacent to the stock rail. The wing rail is part of the frog. http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/rp13_7.html
The info,I gave you in my reply,in the very beginning,,,I got from the Micro Engineering folks,,,it appears that some people are able to do,what they suggest and some can not....But don't take my word for it...
wp8thsub erosebud...unless I'm confused by the terms "guardrail" and "wing rail." The guard rail is adjacent to the stock rail. The wing rail is part of the frog. http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/rp13_7.html
Erosebud,
I have had my share of locomotives stalling at turnouts, and have found that enhancing turnout performance with frog juicers is quite beneficial. The stalling is not confined to any one brand of loco or turnout. Don't be put off or hesitant about soldering on ME frogs. I have found that they are as easy to solder as Walthers/Shinohara frogs. I drill a hole beside an outside surface of the frog (where the wheel flanges don't make contact), thread the stripped and bent-tip wire through from above the hole and solder it into place. All my turnouts are insul-frog type, operated with ground throws. If you are concerned about damaging the frog by attaching a wire to it, polish your soldering technique on a piece of scrap track or an old turnout until you get the hang of it. I use solid conductor wire in the 20 gauge range. If you'd like, I can post a picture of how the connection looks.
Wilton.
Once more I'm indebted to all of you for your advice and encouragement. I'm getting a great education, part of which is learning how there's almost as many ways to do something right as to do something wrong (the latter being a specialty of mine). Now it's on to my next question--there's sure to be one.