I'm building my first layout w/ shinohara dcc friendly turnouts. not goin to dcc yet! i need to make 3 of them like the new turnouts that i have. they have the brass strip between the points. Do I need to take it out to make them like the new ones. my layout is only 10x10 and i am going to wire it as one block. i'm having problems getting power to my branches when these 3 turnouts are turned. can i isolate the frogs by cutting the rail before and after the frog? any help would be great! thanks
I don't know if your turnouts are what are called "power routing turnouts", but if you don't get power to the branches when the points are lined for the through route, it kinda suggests either that they are defective or that they are not routing power depending on which way the points are thrown. If the branch doesn't get power when the diverging route is lined, I guess the worst case scenario is that you will have to solder a pair of feeders to the branches.
I would not isolate the frogs unless you keep getting shorts when metal engine tires cross the frog. If you do feel you must cut gaps to isolate the frogs, you should understand that you may end up compromising the ability of one or more engines of yours to negotiate the turnouts completely. You'll know soon enough. If you do cut the gaps, you may have to use a DPDT toggle switch to power the frogs via a feeder soldered to the underside of the frog. More work, more wires, and a switch, but it may be your only practical way ahead.
I have several curved Walthers/Shinohara turnouts, DCC friendly, and they work just fine as they come out of the package. All of my engines, including small switchers with sound, have no apparent difficulty.
-Crandell
wally's C&OI need to make 3 of them like the new turnouts that i have. they have the brass strip between the points. Do I need to take it out to make them like the new ones.
I am going to wire it as one block
I'm having problems getting power to my branches when these 3 turnouts are turned.
can i isolate the frogs by cutting the rail before and after the frog?
I think the way to fix the problem is to run power to each of the sidings. Then isolate the frog from the track with feeders with a single (one, 1) gap. I usually put the gap at the foul point. That way only the turnout is dead when it it thrown opposite a siding not the whole siding.
my mistake, the 3 i was talking about are not dcc friendly turnouts
on the 3 turnouts, the frog is metal w/ no insulated gaps before and after the frog like the new ones I have
Then is must be that your three turnouts are power routing. That means the turnouts interfere with each other's polarity at the ends of a length of track adjacent to the main on their through routes. You'll have to place a pair of gaps at the end of one of the turnouts on that siding. At least, that is what comes to mind immediately. You should probably wait for a couple more opinions in case I have it wrong.
wally's C&Oon the 3 turnouts, the frog is metal w/ no insulated gaps before and after the frog like the new ones I have
You need to power the rails (run a feeder wire) in the two tracks past the turnout. Put a gap in the rail between that new feeder and the frog. Usually an insulated rail joiner on the two tracks coming off the frog works great. The points will power the frog on the one side of the insulated joiner, and the feeder wire will power it on the other side. The frog switches polarity with the points - no dead sections. The insulated joiner keeps it from effecting the tracks beyond.
see illustration #3 on this site - http://www.loystoys.com/peco/about-electrofrog.html
If I am not mistaken it's a little more involved then removing the brass strip, if it were me and it were only 3 turnouts I would buy 3 new insulfrog turnouts if your going to go with Peco if not substitute them with Walthers dcc friendly ones and call it done.