I'm a newbie, and I'm laying out a 1x4-foot, N scale version of a Timesaver switching-puzzle layout.
How best do I wire the layout for DC operation? Are there any potential polarity conflicts, especially on the runaround track? Thanks in advance for replying!
Hi there. It would help if you posted the plan. Otherwise, what really drives DC wiring is 1) the number of locos you will want to operate simultaneously; 2) the number of locos you want to store on the layout; and 3) the existence of a return-loop.
For 1 and 2, you need to ensure you have enough isolated blocks to be able to run/store locos independently. For 3, you need to place insulators to isolate the loop from the rest of the layout to avoid a short, and toggle switches to reverse the polarity of the loop/layout when a locomotive enters and exits a loop.
Simon
the Timesaver doesn't have any reversing loops and is typically used with a single loco. it doesn't get much easier to wire that than. if you want more that a single pair of feeds, just wire the black wire to the back rail
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Hello All,
OldGeepHow best do I wire the layout for DC operation?
One wire from the red (+) terminal of the cab (power pack) to one rail, one wire from the black (-) terminal to the other rail.
National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) recommended practice is the locomotive moves "forward" when the red (+) output wire is attached to the rail on the right, relative to the front of the locomotive.
For a traditional time saver, running a single locomotive, there should be no polarity conflicts.
A way to check for polarity "conflicts" is to take a car and mark one side with a piece of tape.
Push the car through all track possibilities- -back and forth.
If the side of the car with the piece of tape switches sides of the rails there is a conflict.
Time Saver puzzles were designed to run a single locomotive, under DC power, with no polarity conflicts.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
York1 John
When I began the track plan of my 4'x8' pike I had not been exposed to a "Time Saver" switching layout.
If you flip his track diagram and add a leg to the bottom tracks, it is the core of my coal branch. (Bottom, center; yellow, red & green track sections.)
The colors represent different power districts for DCC operation.
OldGeepI'm a newbie, and I'm laying out a 1x4-foot, N scale version of a Timesaver switching-puzzle layout. How best do I wire the layout for DC operation? Are there any potential polarity conflicts, especially on the runaround track?
How best do I wire the layout for DC operation? Are there any potential polarity conflicts, especially on the runaround track?
There is the potential for needing gaps (insulated rail joiners) and additional power feeds if you have turnouts where the polarity of and power for the frog comes from the point touching the stock rails. Both points have the same polarity in these turnouts. I'm not sure if these turnouts (called power routing turnouts) were ever made in N.
Atlas and other recent turnouts all have the points with the same polarity as the adjacent stock rails, and the rails beyond the frog are insulated from the frog. In this case, you do not have to worry about gaps or insulated rail joiners for just one locomotive.
Fred W
....modeling foggy coastal Oregon in HO and HOn3....
Thanks, everyone! I'm only going to be running one loco at a time, so it looks like I should have no continuity/polarity problems. I had suspected that, but didn't know for sure.
This will be an old-school layout, with Atlas sectional track and turnouts. If I enjoy running the switching puzzle (and I think I probably will), I plan to replace the Code 80 sectional track with Code 55, either flex track or hand laid. Might even try to hand lay the turnouts, too!
Thanks, everyone! I'll only be running one loco, so it looks as though the wiring will be dead easy. Much obliged!
The original Time Saver layout by John Allen uses the most basic DC wiring that there is. It only needs one feed directly from a DC transformer such as those made by Model Rectifier (MRC). This is two wires, one is positive and the other negative. That is all you need.
However if you wish to use more than one locomotive at a time, which would be kind of hard, you need to use an Atlas cab selector switch and have insulated rail joiners dividing your layout into blocks. Then feed a set of wires to each block.