Peco has a excellent line of turnouts in code 55 in Nscale.
However they have a leak point after some use, the hinged points.
My method, which I use from years has given me nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnouts.
For this tutorial I use a double crossover but this can be applied to any Peco turnouts.
This method is inspired by the electrical philosophy first from Tillig and second from Fastrack which use full rail points whithout hinge.
The first thing I do, is soldering by the bottom, the hinge of the points of the turnout; the point are blocked in a middle position between the main rails.
This make a full rail point, I use a slightly silver loaded solder to make a strong solder point, see the picture below,
Jumper are soldered between the rail point and the respective main rail for a full time electrical continuity, see picture Since the point and the rail are in full electrical continuity, we need to isolate the frog of the turnout; I use a jeweler saw to cut the rail just before the frog of the turnout. The blauw circle is the Peco original cuts, the red arrows mine, see picture Since the frogs are isolated by the rails, the Peco wire is modified to isolate the frog electricaly and I solder a new wire to power them; this wire will be connected to the Tortoise contact., see picture I also make some cosmetic change to the trowbar site, since I remove the spring for the Tortoise, Before, After, These changes give a nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnout and also an easy friendly DCC turnout. However I didn't use Peco turnouts but semi handlaid Fastrack Turnouts, they are finer, electrical safe and easy DCC.
Jumper are soldered between the rail point and the respective main rail for a full time electrical continuity, see picture
Since the point and the rail are in full electrical continuity, we need to isolate the frog of the turnout; I use a jeweler saw to cut the rail just before the frog of the turnout. The blauw circle is the Peco original cuts, the red arrows mine, see picture Since the frogs are isolated by the rails, the Peco wire is modified to isolate the frog electricaly and I solder a new wire to power them; this wire will be connected to the Tortoise contact., see picture I also make some cosmetic change to the trowbar site, since I remove the spring for the Tortoise, Before, After, These changes give a nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnout and also an easy friendly DCC turnout. However I didn't use Peco turnouts but semi handlaid Fastrack Turnouts, they are finer, electrical safe and easy DCC.
Since the point and the rail are in full electrical continuity, we need to isolate the frog of the turnout; I use a jeweler saw to cut the rail just before the frog of the turnout.
The blauw circle is the Peco original cuts, the red arrows mine, see picture
Since the frogs are isolated by the rails, the Peco wire is modified to isolate the frog electricaly and I solder a new wire to power them; this wire will be connected to the Tortoise contact., see picture I also make some cosmetic change to the trowbar site, since I remove the spring for the Tortoise, Before, After, These changes give a nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnout and also an easy friendly DCC turnout. However I didn't use Peco turnouts but semi handlaid Fastrack Turnouts, they are finer, electrical safe and easy DCC.
Since the frogs are isolated by the rails, the Peco wire is modified to isolate the frog electricaly and I solder a new wire to power them; this wire will be connected to the Tortoise contact., see picture
I also make some cosmetic change to the trowbar site, since I remove the spring for the Tortoise, Before, After, These changes give a nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnout and also an easy friendly DCC turnout. However I didn't use Peco turnouts but semi handlaid Fastrack Turnouts, they are finer, electrical safe and easy DCC.
I also make some cosmetic change to the trowbar site, since I remove the spring for the Tortoise,
Before,
After, These changes give a nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnout and also an easy friendly DCC turnout. However I didn't use Peco turnouts but semi handlaid Fastrack Turnouts, they are finer, electrical safe and easy DCC.
After,
These changes give a nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnout and also an easy friendly DCC turnout. However I didn't use Peco turnouts but semi handlaid Fastrack Turnouts, they are finer, electrical safe and easy DCC.
These changes give a nearly electrical bullet proof Peco turnout and also an easy friendly DCC turnout.
However I didn't use Peco turnouts but semi handlaid Fastrack Turnouts, they are finer, electrical safe and easy DCC.
I didn't beleive I still have one on hand, so here are picture of a conventional Peco turnout were I isolated the frog the same way as the crossover; there is two cut made whith a jeweler saw.
In the crossover above this was not necessary because Peco already had made some cut which isolate the rails