My last layout was 4ft x 13ft, HO and wired for DC. I had 3-4ft blocks that were isolated with insulated rail joiners on both the negative and positive rail. It ran fine. I finally was convinced to go DCC. I got the Digitrax empire builder. Just to see how it worked, I wired all the negatives to the unit and did the same with the positives. It worked fine. I was impressed with DCC. Now I'm building a new layout and getting ready to lay the track (HO code 83). Now with DCC, will I need blocks or can I just run feeder wires right to the bus wires?
With DCC, you still need gaps between hot-frog turnouts at the opposite ends of a double-ended siding.
It might also be desirable to have some isolated tracks for hidden staging or locomotive parking. The easy way is to gap one rail and power it through an SPST switch.
Some day, you might want to install signals operated by detector circuits. It's a lot easier to gap the rails during tracklaying than it is to cut gaps in finished trackwork.
The bottom line - figure out where you might need gaps and provide for them from the start. It will probably have considerable resemblance to a DC layout gapped for cab control. Connect feeders to the busses where they can be reached without standing on your head under the layout. When you start installing signal detectors, you'll be glad you did.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Unless you are using electrofrog switches, are going to have a reverse loop or a wye, you will not need them. Any insulated sections you may need can easily be made with a razor saw or dermmel to cut the gaps then using CA cement in a piece of styrene. An engine terminal should have some isolated tracks with toggle switches to shut off non-dcc locos and others to keep the power draw low. Run the feeders right to the buss.
My clubs original DC layout was built with soo many I.J.s we had to solder in three times the # of track feeders when we converted to DCC than if we had started building a new layout.
Depending on the size of your layout, you may like to break the track up into individual 'power districts'. These are wired the same way as blocks in DC, with the exception that each power district runs through some sort of circuit breaker before joining the main DCC unit. This prevents a short circuit from shutting down/damaging all of the layout, and also makes it easier to troubleshoot electrical faults.
Several manufacturers sell these circuit breakers. Some are adjustable, some are as simple as tail lights in series with the track bus. Whatever one looks best for you is probably the one to go with.
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
Check out this site;
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm
Has more info on DCC than I think you could ever want.
Using DCC friendly turnouts, the only places you need gaps are reversing sections and boundaries for power districts and sub districts.
However, if you want to add signalling, using current sensing detectors, you'll have to gap the track for the signal blocks. Also if you want to be able to cut power specific areas, you'll need gaps.
For example, I don't like leaving my decorders sitting hot, while not being used, so all of my yard and engine facility tracks are gapped and switched. I also plan on adding signalling, so the mains are gapped for that purpose. When all's said and done, the gap placement looks a lot like that of a conventional DC layout.
Nick
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nbrodarFor example, I don't like leaving my decorders sitting hot, while not being used, so all of my yard and engine facility tracks are gapped and switched. Nick
For example, I don't like leaving my decorders sitting hot, while not being used, so all of my yard and engine facility tracks are gapped and switched.
Just curious Nick. Does leaving them hot wear them out sooner or is there some other reason you do this? It seems like it would be a prudent thing to do and I am just starting my loco parking lot. Thanks.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Even when sitting idle, the decoders still draw some current plus my cabooses and passenger cars have lighting and markers powered off the track. It's also a precaution against someone accidentally leaving the unit attached to a cab and moving it by mistake. And don't forget the cacophony of noise when operators forget to turn the sounds off.
Additionally, I still have some units without decoders, so I can turn off the track and still have them in the engine terminal.