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Wiring an HO Scale Turntable with building.

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  • Member since
    February 2021
  • 8 posts
Wiring an HO Scale Turntable with building.
Posted by joeponcho on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 4:09 PM

I have an HO Scale motorized turntable and building that has 6 sets of tracks in it. Should I have one transformer (power source) connected to one switch per track in the building? I do not have DCC, I have a regular DC transformer. If I wire each track individually, if multiple switches are on, then the engines in the house will travel at the same speeds.

Thanks

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 4:56 PM

You have the right idea.  In DC, you need individual control for each stall in your roundhouse.  The power probably needs to come off the supply that runs the track on the turntable itself so the stall track matches the turntable track in polarity.

Welcome, by the way.

Which turntable do you have?  They are not all the same, and further suggestions will likely need that information.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 5:11 PM

A rotary switch, fed by power through a simple ON/OFF switch will allow individual control of tracks in the roundhouse, and also any outdoor storage tracks too.  Most of the rotary switches I use have at least nine positions  - simply select the stall you wish to energise, then flip the control switch to "ON".

Here's my set-up, on the layout's fascia, which controls the tracks at the Lowbanks turntable (at left) and shop area (to the right)...

Wayne

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 5:23 PM

joeponcho
Should I have one transformer (power source) connected to one switch per track in the building?

You don't need multiple transformers, just follow the above advice.  And Welcome to the forum.  Initial posts are delayed while you are in moderation.  If you post once per year you will be in moderation for 5 years.  Surely you have more to share than that.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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