N scale turnouts

[snowey]

are PECO Nscale turnouts DCC compatible?

[Anonymous]

Hello Snowey,

Peco offers two types of N scale turnouts -- the ElectroFrog and the InsulFrog.

The ElectroFrog style, or "selective" turnout, has a "live frog" that routes power only to the normal or diverging route, depending on which way the points are thrown. Make sure to power these turnouts from the point end.

This type of turnout can be made to be DCC compatible with a little extra effort. The diverging rails past the frog need to be insulated from the frog to prevent short circuits, such as occurs when wiring a passing siding. Insulated rail joiners or cutting a gap in the rails with a cuttign disk in a motor tool will do the job nicely.

Peco's InsulFrog is much more DCC friendly right out of the box. Peco's term "InsulFrog" means the frog, which is made of plastic, doesn't conduct electricity and route power, so the frog's polarity isn't affected by which way the points are thrown. Both routes, normal and diverging, are live.

In my experience, most brands of turnouts can be DCC compatible; it depends on how much effort you want to expend. Cutting a few gaps with a motor tool cutting disk is no big deal. But it's more convenient for some modelers to have DCC compatibility right out of the box.

Hope this helps,

Paul Schmidt
Contributing Editor
Trains.com