HI all! listen maybe i'm dumb at this stuff but what exactly IS a FROG anyway?
The attached may get you started. The frog is where the rails cross when the "diverging" versus "straight ahead" tracks need to cross. Evident in the picture. Then there are the moveable "point" rails (that make the train take the right route going in from the optional direction, the "closure" rails that connect the moveable points to the frog, and the "stock" (outside) rails that are truly the outer rails. Hope I got this right. In modeling, there occurs issues about track polarity, as the frog either needs to be isolated (neutral) or powered, one way or the opposite, according to turnout direction chosen.
There are many modeling links to elaborate, depending on your concerns/interest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_switch
http://armytransportation.tpub.com/TI-850-02/TI-850-020078.htm
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
so which turnout do you recommend insulated or power-routing?
thanks for the info ,Joe
Joe, those are two different issues. The frog being insulated is a problem for small locomotives with few pickups for power. The shorter the wheelbase, the more problematic is gapping and insulating from any type of power the frogs. The tiniest engines will possibly balk right at the dead frog, but if you power them, they'll almost certainly go through the whole turnout. Insulating the frog prevents shorts when parts of the same metal wheel touch two rails of opposite polarity. A dead frog prevents that, but at the expense of smooth running on the part of the smallest engines.
Power routing means that the routes after the frog are powered depending on the position of the points rails. You can still have insulated/dead or live frogs, but a turnout that remains dead after that frog. In such turnouts, the power is not routed.
If you plan to use DCC, you want insulated.
Power routing is a way to avoid dead frog problems. It also has some interesting capabilities like being able to power spurs on and off from the points of the turnout. But it has some drwabacks as well especially for DCC. See this page on Allan Gartner's site for more info on DCC friendly turnouts. Insulated are easier to wire for either DC or DCC.
Insulated turnouts can have metal frogs (isolated from the other rails) which can be powered by the switch machine for the turnout. This maybe needed for short locomotives or locomotives with only one wheel pickup.
Enjoy