In hooking up my 2 loops of track, I am using gargraves remote dz2500 switches. In going from the outer loop to the inner loop do I need to use insulating pins between the 2 switches? Is so which rail. I am grounding both the outside rails on my 3 rail gargraves phantom O guage track.
If you are using O gauge 3 rail track then the two outside rails are the same, and the middle rail is the power. Call them Ground and Hot if you like, but I am sure that is not what LIONEL calls them.
Are you going to run two trains, or are you just running one train. If just one cab control, then I do not see why you would need any gaps, not even on a reversing loop.
But what does a LION know about it anyway. Him plays with HO.
ROAR
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Do the inter and outer loops have separate power supplies? If so the answer is yes. If all the outside rails are grounded it would do no good to insulate them. The center rail would definitely need to be insulated.
If they are both run on the same power pack then no. With three rail track the center is always the center and the outside is always the outside regardless of how the track is configured, so there is no chance of short circuits like 2 rail systems.
Do you want to park a engine or train while running another one? If so you would need to insulate and install a switch to shut off power.
Jim
The answer is Yes. Each loop will have it's own power supply. I am going to have 3 loops on 3 power supplies running 3 trains. But I want to be able to part a train on it's loop and bring another train in from the other loop. I will be using Lionel TMCC.
quizshow904 ...I will be using Lionel TMCC.
...I will be using Lionel TMCC.
Then check the instructions on the TMCC. There should be a section on doing this very thing, although they may only give instructions for two tracks, just repeat for the third.
Carey
Keep it between the Rails
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With TMCC you can do it either way you want depending on how you want to configure the base units, TPC(s), and BPC(s). As the prior poster suggested your best friend is the documentation for the TMCC system itself.