On off power for a designated track

[MTGRIZ]

I have Kato track and wish to be able to turn on and off power to a track where I park a loco with cars.  How do I do that and what do I need?

[SeeYou190]

There are a couple of ways to handle this.

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If the track is immediately after a turnout and stub ended you can make the Kato trunout "power routing" by moving two screws. This way the track will turn off unless the turnout points are aligned for that track.

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Or... you can get Kato's insulated rail joiners and install them before the track stub and then use another feeder track to power the stub. You can either unplug and plug the track or get a switch to turn it on and off.

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-Kevin

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[RR_Mel]

Not much information in your post.  If all you want is to turn off the power in a spur use insolated track joiners where you want to control the power and us a DPST switch between the rails.  If the track isn’t a spur then you need insolated joiners on both ends of the track you need to turn off the power.

 

 

 

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[BigDaddy]

If it's a spur, isn't an insulated rail joiner, or a gap, and a SPST switch good enough?

[RR_Mel]

Henry

 

I don’t use common rail and always switch both rails.  My layout was built as DC 30 years ago and I used DPDT center off switches so that I could reverse each block individually.  When I went DCC I totally rewired it for the Guru DCC type operation.  That was a huge mistake.  I rewired it back to my original DC operation and everything works perfect on either DC or DCC.  I run dual mode, actually more DC than DCC.  I only went DCC for sound.  I only have a dozen decoders and 70+ locomotives.

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[MTGRIZ]

I am rather new.  What do you mean by “stud ended” and what two screws are you talking about?

[OldEngineman]

The Kato #4 powered turnouts are "power routing", so if you park one or more locos on a spur and throw the switch against them, power is effectively cut off to that track.

The #4 manual and #6 manual switches can be set for either power routing or non-power routing with two "moveable screws" on the underside. Set them one way for PR and the other for nonPR. Interestingly, it looks like the routes are "individually adjustable".

Aside:

I use Kato track myself and it's very handy for making even slight re-arrangements in your track layout. After using all their switches, if I had to do it over again I would buy ONLY their manual switches (#4 or #6) and add power to them as needed. I find the manual switches to be of slightly better design and smoother to operate through. The #6 manual switch in particular is a "smooth turnout".

[selector]

MTGRIZ

I am rather new.  What do you mean by “stud ended” and what two screws are you talking about?

 

Think of a siding, but with a turnout only at one end. The word is 'stub', not stud, but we're suggesting a diverging track that will be isolated electrically IF it gets fed by the stock and frog rail directly.  If the points are thrown to allow divergence, that track will be powered and you can run a locomotive down its length to the stops or derailer, or earthen berm...whatever makes the rails end safely.  Once you park the loco there, when you slide the throwbar to line for the through route once again, a power routing turnout should render that spur/parking track/siding dead.

[BigDaddy]

MTGRIZ

what two screws are you talking about?

https://youtu.be/B-H_ZwwzoiA

[PED]

OP did not state if he was using Kato HO or N scale track. The turnouts are made differently between the two scales thus some of the comments here (such as 2 screws) may or may not apply

[7j43k]

BigDaddy

If it's a spur, isn't an insulated rail joiner, or a gap, and a SPST switch good enough?

 

 

Yes.  One insulated rail joiner and an SPST switch will do it for a single throttle setup.

If you had two throttles, then a DPDT center off would be a better choice.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of power-routing switches.  Others are.

 

Ed

[BigDaddy]

PED

OP did not state if he was using Kato HO or N scale track

That's what makes these electrical questions fun.  We get to play Columbo

[MTGRIZ]

I am using Kato N scale

[BNSF UP and others modeler]

to the forums BTW! (Just in case no one else said it yet).

[SeeYou190]

MTGRIZ

I am using Kato N scale

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Sorry, I am in HO scale, and my answers reflected this.

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Kato Unitrack is a great product, and I am certain there is an easy way to do this in N scale. I just don't know the answer.

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-Kevin

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