Hello everyone,
I am doing my first module ever and I want to wire it correctly for DCC in the future. My question has to do with electrofrogs and insulated joints. How should I wire the turnouts and where do insulated rail joiners need to be? The track is all Peco by the way.
Since I am having issues posting images, here is a diagram below, from top to bottom.
*Spur on left connected to siding.
*Westbound Mainline with crossover and turnouts to siding.
*Eastbound Mainline with crossover.
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No matter whether it's an Insulfrog or Electrofrog Peco turnout, an Atlas, a Shinohara, or any other brand, I always use insulated joiners on the rails that diverge from the frog, and then use separate feeder wires to the rails beyond the frog.
I have found this practice to be relatively foolproof because you don't have to worry about whether the turnout is power routing or not.
Before installation, I also solder jumper wires on the bottom of a Peco turnout between the stock rail and the point rail, where Peco wisely leaves a gap in their ties, instead of relying on Peco's rather flimsy way of making the turnout 'power routing' with the small tab that is supposed to contact the stock rail when the turnout is thrown.
Because the Peco Electrofrog is power routing and has a live frog, you have to gap the two inner rails to prevent shorts. That would not be necessary, however, on a Peco Insulfrog.
Rich
Alton Junction