Hello all,
I recently got an opportunity to tour behind the scenes at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greely.
On their staging tracks they use DPDT switches to power and un-power the individual staging tracks.
Part of their protocol is to also power down the locos before cutting power to the track.
As I was being shown how the system works the guide powered up the track and the locos came to life!
He was slightly embarrassed but more miffed that the previous engineer did not power down the locos and only shut off track power- -against protocol.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
twincreeksRR Thanks to all. I'm not interested in power usage. Another reason I did not state was to say park a lighted passenger car and want lights off.
Thanks to all. I'm not interested in power usage. Another reason I did not state was to say park a lighted passenger car and want lights off.
See... LION runs SUBWAY TRAINS, when parked him wants the LIGHTS to stay on.
But Route of LION is 100% DC operation, so lights do not stay on.
LION builds in the power to the sidings through the Tortoise switch machines. Take away the alignment, track is isolated.
On terminal tracks, there is a rectifyer on one of the rails, Inbound=no power, train stops, when aligned to an outbound track the poer crosses the rectifyer and the train goes. Can only go south, can never go north or it would fall off of the elevated structure down onto the waiting people and buses below. EMS would not be happy about that.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I have a couple long sidings where I can park long trains, or several locomotives. And yes, sound locos do use up a lot of current. I sometimes have half a dozen parked in a depowered siding.
Yes you do want to have depowered tracks for trains not in use. If you have lots of locos, there will be times you want to run a single train. Keeping the decoders powered while not in use is extra wear and tear on the devices.
On most layouts there will be shorts in the normal course of operation. Decoders don’t like shorts in the long run. While they can tolerate them just fine, protecting decoders from extra shorts while not in operation makes sense. In addition, most decoders that are in sleep mode will wake up after a short, necessitating putting them to sleep again.
Use a toggle SPST or DPDT and you have on/off indicator as well. Rocker switches are great but the hole in the panel is more effort.
Opinion will vary,
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
You could also use power routing switches.
I built my HO layout way before DCC using common rail and blocks. Used #22 wire and a switch on the manual turnout control for the powered rail. Handlaid stub turnouts. 1890 era. That was fine for parking a loco when using DCC.
I kept eveything when I went to DCC. Most three locos and on average, two locos.
Tested sound diesels but ran them on the club layout.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
twincreeksRR1. Is it recommeded to de-power that spur so energy is not constantly running to that decoder?
It is useful if not recommended:
Some low end sound decoders automatically startup when power is applied to the tracks.
There is power demand on start up especially with sound decoders. That may not matter in your situation, but for someone with a starter system it could make a difference.
It would prevent you from accidentally selecting the wrong loco. Nobody ever has done that, right?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
twincreeksRR I want to park/store a locomotive on a siding. 1. Is it reommeded to de-power that spur so energy is not constantly running to that decoder?
I want to park/store a locomotive on a siding.
1. Is it reommeded to de-power that spur so energy is not constantly running to that decoder?
If you're concerned about energy usage of a decoder where everything (motor, lights, sound) is shut off, the amount has to be really small*. So, in that case, it makes no sense to add the de-powering switch.
But.
If you do add it anyway, and those of us who have layouts originally wired for DC DO have that, then a real benefit of using the off-switch is that there will be no "surprises" from the dead loco. Like becoming the walking un-dead. Or rolling, in this case.
Ed
*there's a bit of handwaving here, because I don't KNOW how much an inactive decoder uses. I just don't see a reason why it would use much, or any, when it's just sitting there.
You only need to isolate and switch power to one rail. So a SPST switch will work fine. If you use a DPST (or DPDT and ignore one side), you can either switch off both rails, or control the power to one rail with one pole and use the other pole to drive an indicator light.
If DCC, you don't need switch terminals to operate indicator lights, an LED and resistor across the rails will suffice, if light is on, power is on, if light is of, power is off. Simple.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I use DPST rocker switches. You can get a 20 pack on amazon for $7. I prefer rocker switchs to toggle switches, because they don't stick out as far, if you mount them on the face of your benchwork.
2. If so, does cutting power to only one rail suffice?
3. What type switch would work for this? Single pole-single throw etc.?
Thanks in advance