I am new to DCC. I understand the wiring for the main lines.I don't understand how to wire the freight yard. With all the turnouts, I'm getting confused.
If the main line in front of the yard has the red bus wire to the front most rail and the black bus wire to the rear rail, then you simply wire each yard track exactly the same way.
What turnouts are you using? SOme will require gaps and some do not.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
You can just wire each track with the positive wire to one rail and the ground to the other (yes, I know this isn’t exactly how DCC works, but you get the idea). The switches need the frog to be isolated from the rails (by cutting gaps, etc) and the points also should be isolated from the frog (but it’s okay if the touch the other rails. The frog and points can be wired to a frog juicer, etc, but this is not required. They often get enough electricity by touching the rails.
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
rrinker What turnouts are you using? SOme will require gaps and some do not.
I'll be watching this thread, as I'm planning a major turn out replacement project for my yard and industry switching areas.
I currently have a hodge podge of old turn outs, from various manufacturers, and not all work so great.
But I digress.....
For yards, as the OP has asked, as Randy says, follow the same way you have the main wired.
Mike.
My You Tube
All the tracks are wired excatly the same as any other track. North rail to one bus, south rail to the other bus. Switches depend on on what type of switch, whether you are powering the frog or not. Wire one switch, then repeat until done.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
''Basic'' wireing is simple : one wire to each rail,never the two should meet.
One way; put a car on the rails, donot remove it till your done. Put a mark on each side of the car. Say a red dot, and a black dot. As you move said car thru turnouts, It will show witch rail is red-north-plus-whatever.
As said above,some turnout may need extra care. But by useing the same car, and a little ''thinking'', its not that hard.
I also wondered about this before I acually did it. It ended up much easier than I thought, although I did make a mistake on one loop. My wires are red and white. I just made sure I stayed consistent by continually paying attention.
UNCLEBUTCHOne way; put a car on the rails, donot remove it till your done. Put a mark on each side of the car. Say a red dot, and a black dot. As you move said car thru turnouts, It will show witch rail is red-north-plus-whatever.
That's a great idea, and I wish I had thought about doing that.
I did not do anything different on turnouts. I didn't cut any gaps, etc., and I've never had an issue. I used Atlas turnouts.
York1 John
SPSOT fanThe switches need the frog to be isolated from the rails (by cutting gaps, etc) and the points also should be isolated from the frog (but it’s okay if the touch the other rails. The frog and points can be wired to a frog juicer, etc, but this is not required.
Depends on what the OP is using for turnouts. Some people successfully use DCC unfriendly turnouts on DCC layouts. DCC friendly turnouts have the gaps you suggest
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
It also helps to have a mnemomic and a consistent color coding of the wires.
Such as : Red to the rear, white to the wall, black in back.
It doesn't matter what colors you pick, just keep consistent. For example I use red and white for feeders and "white to the wall". That way whether I am above the roadbed or under it, I have the wall for a reference.
Good idea Dave. I used red and black, and I've got my black to the wall.
dehusman It also helps to have a mnemomic and a consistent color coding of the wires. Such as : Red to the rear, white to the wall, black in back. It doesn't matter what colors you pick, just keep consistent. For example I use red and white for feeders and "white to the wall". That way whether I am above the roadbed or under it, I have the wall for a reference.
My wire came out of dumpster,ran out of red/white,had to use blue,green yellow. Trains didn't care, but had to think before connecting. Still tryed to keep te red& blues and the green&white consistent.
The Xcolor to the whatever will not always work.I have had spurs that the tracks were flipped. That when my car trick came into play
I'm watching this post also to get some more ideas. Wiring a yard seems easier than you'd think once you keep consistent with the wire colos. Mixing that is is a great way to create a short. Just take your time and test, test, test!
I've seen Unclebutch's car trick before, in articles, and videos. It's a good way to keep the right wire to the right track, figuratively and literally.
Unclebutch, "Xcolor to the whatever" does work, and your little car trick proved it, no matter what color you used, it made sure you had the correct wire to the correct track, no matter if your spur is facing or trailing, which is what I think you mean by "spurs that the tracks were flipped".
I don't think you meant flipped, as in upside-down!
mbinsewi I've seen Unclebutch's car trick before, in articles, and videos. It's a good way to keep the right wire to the right track, figuratively and literally. Unclebutch, "Xcolor to the whatever" does work, and your little car trick proved it, no matter what color you used, it made sure you had the correct wire to the correct track, no matter if your spur is facing or trailing, which is what I think you mean by "spurs that the tracks were flipped". I don't think you meant flipped, as in upside-down! Mike.
I had a spur/siding that left the main and went to my right, it then made a ''tight'' loop and returned to my left. Beween the wall and main.
The main's wall side rail is now away from the wall. flipped
I stand by my remark; Xcolor against what ever will ''not always'' work.
It would take too mutch typing to explain why this happened.
I don't take credit for the car trick, I've been useing it fora long time but don't see it mentioned offen
I suggested to a friend who's layout design I drew to take a cheap car, like something from an old trains et, and mask the whole car the long way and paint oen side the color of one bus wire, and the other half the color of the seconf bus wire. REALLY hard to make a mistake with that unless you pick the car up. If you knock of off, just go back to a part you know works and put it back on the raisl with the colros lined up and then move it over to the area you are working in.
My layouts tend to be more linear, instead of big loops where indeed the front main and the rear main going back the other way would have the bus wires 'oppposite' relative to the wall. Or a dog bone shape where you WOUDL want the two parallel tracks wired the same order, with the end loops isolated for reversing sections.
Randy,
Thank you for the reply. I am using Atlas CustomLine Turnouts.I was wondering if I needed to insulate any of it.I would attach a pic if I knew how to show all of the turnouts. Any other help is really appreciated. Thanks again.
Hello, LagerMan,
While I am not personally familiar with Atlas Customline turnouts, DCC authority Allan Gartner does seem to be. Check out his Wiring For DCC website. He specifically discusses Atlas Customline turnouts, and seems to find them DCC friendly. Allan also discusses how to power the Atlas C/L frogs to avoid frog dead spots, which would otherwise be an operating aggravation.
>>> http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches_atlas_roco.htm
// Michael
Atlas turnouts do not need any insulators or gaps, unless you want to run toggle switches to kill power on the yard tracks.