HOmainline Andy Sperandeo's "Easy Model Railroad Wiring" has a detailed chapter on wiring for reverse loops. It's for DC, however, and whether or not it'll work for DCC is a mystery to me. All it took was a couple wires connected to the respective loop tracks and a dedicated DPDT main direction and a dedicated DPDT reverse loop toggle switch. If you'd like, I'll send you a couple of PDF schematics showing how it's done. Thanks I could use the PDF
Andy Sperandeo's "Easy Model Railroad Wiring" has a detailed chapter on wiring for reverse loops. It's for DC, however, and whether or not it'll work for DCC is a mystery to me.
All it took was a couple wires connected to the respective loop tracks and a dedicated DPDT main direction and a dedicated DPDT reverse loop toggle switch.
If you'd like, I'll send you a couple of PDF schematics showing how it's done.
Thanks I could use the PDF
the image shows a common "reverse loop". Both rails at both ends are isolated from the mainline rails. There are DPDT polarity reversing switches for both the mainline and reverse loop.
the reverse loop reversing swith position depends on which end of the reverse loop the train enters it from the mainline. Once in the loop, the mainline polarity needs to be reversed to match the end of the reverse loop the train will exit the loop from. With DCC, an auto-reverser can take care of this automatically.
the loop needs to be longer than the train, otherwise metal wheels on a freight car may cause a short when the train staddles both ends of the loop.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
The thread is titled DCC so hopefully it is DCC. "Hooks back" is not the usual way I have seen a reversing loop described, nor is isolation track, but it could be what the OP means.
I always thought Confucious said a picture was worth a thousand words, but if he said it, it was never written down till the early 20th century. The forum has very specificrequirement for posting pictures. You cannot cheat. See the sticky on how to post photos.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
asiegler Any good primers on how to wire up an Isolated section of track? My track layout hooks back causing polarity problems. I have isolated a good portion of my n gage track with plastic insulating rail joiners at both ends but uncertain as to how I would actually wire the track feeders to my main trunk line.
Any good primers on how to wire up an Isolated section of track? My track layout hooks back causing polarity problems. I have isolated a good portion of my n gage track with plastic insulating rail joiners at both ends but uncertain as to how I would actually wire the track feeders to my main trunk line.
Are your running analog (DC) or DCC?
If you are using DC, it gets a little complex, as soon as you flip the polarity the train would reverse, so you need to isolate the loop, and reverse the mainline. For that you would need to DPDT switches, one for the mainline, the other for the loop, so you can match them going in and flip the mainline going out.
With DCC, you would just isolate the loop and use an autoreverser to flip the phasing of the rails at the correct time, automatically. No mechanical human operated switches.
https://dccwiki.com/Reverse_Sections shows how this works in DCC. These devices only work with DCC.
Kerry
Some years ago our club converted from DC to DCC. We had one reverse loop with a DPDT switch. We put in an auto reverser. We followed the instructions with it.
Since we ran usually in one direction, we put in a crossover and another reverser.
A program track was at the end of a yard ladder
Edit.
If you need to post a photo of your layout look at the Model Railroader, General Discussion forum. The instructions are there.
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.
You need an auto reverser...
A PSX-AR or Digitrax AR1. easy to install either one... hth
John