Turnouts for N Gauge?

[Anonymous]

What kind of turnouts are best for easy operation. Plan to go with DCC. Insul-frog or other? Brand?

[pcarrell]

First let me say welcome to the forum! I think you'll find that you can learn a ton here. Just remember, there are NO STUPID QUESTIONS! OK?

Now, to the question at hand....

There are so many choices that you could write a short book. It all depends on what you want in a turnout.

You mention DCC. Dead frog (insul-frog) will work with DCC. The only exception to that is if the point rails are connected to each other by one piece of metal (throwbar, spring, or both). Then you have to change the throwbar and/or spring so that there is no short circuit. This is true no matter what kind of frog you have, live or dead. Now if you want a live frog, it has to be isolated electronically and the polarity has to be changed, depending on which way the turnout is thrown, to make it work. This can either be manually done, or it is recommended to automate this procedure.

OK, now that you're a budding genius when it comes to turnouts, which ones work, and how?

All Atlas turnouts work for DCC right out of the package. Their code 80 stuff may look a bit on the big side as far as the rail height goes, but it's virtually bulletproof. The code 80 stuff has a plastic frog and the code 55 stuff has a metal one that can be left dead or powered using the little tab on the side of the turnout for something to solder a power wire to. Now with Atlas code 55, flange depth can be an issue if you like to run older manufactured equipment with the big flanges. Most of the newer stuff runs fine.

Kato makes great track and it is DCC friendly. Other then that, I don't know much about it.

I've heard mixed comment regarding Bachmann's quality on their track, so I steered clear.

Peco makes some excellent track. Their code 55 line is really code 80 buried in the ties to look like code 55. As such, you have no flange issues with it. I don't know about it's DCC friendlyness, but if somebody would care to comment I'd be real interested in learning a little more about it.

Micro Engineering makes what is arguably the best looking track out there. It is not DCC friendly though. Not long ago they introduced a DCC friendly version in HO scale, so maybe Nscale will come soon. For now, many modifications must be made to make it DCC compatible. You have to cut all the rails leading to the frog to isolate it, and you have to make a new throwbar and toss out the spring. It's a lot of work, but they look great.

This website is geared to HO track, but most of the comments apply. It's;
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/

There's about half a million more out there, but those are all I know about. Unless you want to get into hand laying track.......[8D]

[jkroft]

I'm currently laying Peco code 55 electrofrogs, so I can be of some help. First off, look at wiringfordcc.com to learn the tricks of wiring turnouts. Peco makes an excellent turnout. The only thing that really needs to be done is placing insulated rail joiners at the end of the frog rails. That's it. On this web site though, there is info on "modifying" the TO for dcc, but this is only necessary if you want to solder jumpers and such for improving the electrical conductivity of the entire TO. It is not necessary for dcc compatibility,.....it's dcc friendly right out of the box. Peco actually has a large wiper for the points and the spring in the throwbar holds the point to the stock rail tightly. These two work together to make good conductivity. Over the years, though, dirt and dust may build up and reduce conductivity. This is why some people choose to improve conductivity via methods from wiringfordcc.com. Second, Peco makes a wide clearance between the point and stock rails (consult the web site for any terms you may not know). This clearance is a possible place for a short to occur from metal wheels bridging the gap. Some TOs have a narrow clearance (like Micro-engineering) and will need modification. Peco does not. The spring to which I refer is basically what makes the TO "snap" back and forth. This spring is made for use with twin coil switch machines and must be removed if using a motor machine like a Tortise of Switchmaster. These are just some things to consider. I agree that Micro-engineering has the best looking track and TOs, yet they only make #6s, need to be modified, and are more expensive than most. Atlas 55 has the wheel flange clearance problem but has a wide selection. I personally chose the Peco 55 for the selection, excellent quality and decent price and I am not at all disappointed.

[Adelie]

One more tid bit on Atlas. They are releasing a #10 in code 55 sometime. The official announcement is supposed to be coming very soon according to their forum. A 3.5 Wye is announced. Somebody over there said that MicroEngineering was working on a new N scale turnout to correct the DCC issues with their current ones. And it was also rumored Peco was coming out with a US N scale code 55 line, similar to their HO product.

Lots of rumors, I couldn't confirm any of them....other than the #10 info was originally posted by somebody at Atlas.

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jkroft

I'm currently laying Peco code 55 electrofrogs, so I can be of some help. First off, look at wiringfordcc.com to learn the tricks of wiring turnouts. Peco makes an excellent turnout. The only thing that really needs to be done is placing insulated rail joiners at the end of the frog rails. That's it. On this web site though, there is info on "modifying" the TO for dcc, but this is only necessary if you want to solder jumpers and such for improving the electrical conductivity of the entire TO. It is not necessary for dcc compatibility,.....it's dcc friendly right out of the box. Peco actually has a large wiper for the points and the spring in the throwbar holds the point to the stock rail tightly. These two work together to make good conductivity. Over the years, though, dirt and dust may build up and reduce conductivity. This is why some people choose to improve conductivity via methods from wiringfordcc.com. Second, Peco makes a wide clearance between the point and stock rails (consult the web site for any terms you may not know). This clearance is a possible place for a short to occur from metal wheels bridging the gap. Some TOs have a narrow clearance (like Micro-engineering) and will need modification. Peco does not. The spring to which I refer is basically what makes the TO "snap" back and forth. This spring is made for use with twin coil switch machines and must be removed if using a motor machine like a Tortise of Switchmaster. These are just some things to consider. I agree that Micro-engineering has the best looking track and TOs, yet they only make #6s, need to be modified, and are more expensive than most. Atlas 55 has the wheel flange clearance problem but has a wide selection. I personally chose the Peco 55 for the selection, excellent quality and decent price and I am not at all disappointed.

Now that's something I can sink my teeth into!

[Anonymous]

[:)]Many thanks everyone for your great help! --Glennm

[n2mopac]

Siimply, I personally use N scale Peco medium radius code 80 insul-from turnouts with DCC and I am very happy with how they look, operate, and how trains run over them.

Ron