Someone was selling this handmade crossover switch for only $5 at a rummage sale with some odd switch machines included I never seen before. It looks like the frogs are wired to the machines but I have no idea on how to hook this up to a DCC layout, or even how I should wire these switches. Wiring the crossover to the layout short circuited it so it isn't DCC friendly.
Sorry about the quality of the photos. I have a poor digital camera.
Well, the switch machine in the picture is a twin-coil of some sort. I have a similar one in my box of parts. The bad news is that it's been in that box for 40 years, on my teenage layout for 10, and I found it in a yard sale box-o-trains. There should be two wires coming out of each of the coils. In all likelihood, one wire from each coil is connected to a wire from the other coil. Those are the "common" wires. If you've wired Atlas or Peco turnouts, these should be wired the same.
How many twin-coil units are attached to this crossover? I can't tell from the picture. Did they use one on each end, one on each turnout, or is there some Rube Goldberg linkage so only one machine runs the whole shebang? You can wire twin-coils in parallel, but it may not work well unless you've got a capacitive discharge circuit to drive them.
It sounds like they've powered the frogs and probably the interior rails from some contacts driven by the switch machines. You can connect the outer rails to your layout track, but insulate all the inner rails. You may need to supply power to the contacts separately.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I haven't seen a switch motor like that since the early 1960's. The crossover looks like True Scale switches mounted on True Scale milled roadbed. Insulating this thing from the rest of the layout to prevent shorts is going to be a major challenge, especially for DCC.
I think you'd be much better off purchasing new switches instead of trying to use this one.
cacoleI haven't seen a switch motor like that since the early 1960's. The crossover looks like True Scale switches mounted on True Scale milled roadbed. Insulating this thing from the rest of the layout to prevent shorts is going to be a major challenge, especially for DCC. I think you'd be much better off purchasing new switches instead of trying to use this one.
I agree with you to a point. I think what I would do is strip all wiring and rewire it myself. I would get it working off the layout then bring it on, once I got it functional. Part of getting it functional would be to add 4 pieces of track and run an engine across it.
I'd decide then whether to gap it / insulate if from the rest of the layout.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
far more trouble than it is worth
alco_fanfar more trouble than it is worth
Well, it depends on who you are, and how willing you are to push your own envelope...
I wanted hexagonal cobblestones for my layout. I asked here, and explored shops and shows. I checked out wargaming shops. Nothing at all showed up, so I figured I had to do it myself. I ordered a chunk of plastic honeycomb from a beekeeping supply guy. (He was a former O-gauger, and liked the idea.) I used this to make a "positive" image from modeling clay, and then took the clay to make a mold from latex rubber. Finally, I poured Hydrocal in the mold and had my cobbles.
Was that more trouble than it was worth? Maybe it was. But, along the way I had a lot of fun, I learned to do something new, and I have some unique scenes on my layout.
If the OP wants a challenge, well, this is a challenge. If the OP wants to avoid a frustrating time sink, well, this could be one of those, too.
If the turnouts work smoothly, I'd personally junk the old switch machines and figure out how to run things with a Tortoise. The Tortoise's contacts should provide what's needed to wire it up, too.
MisterBeasleyHow many twin-coil units are attached to this crossover? I can't tell from the picture. Did they use one on each end, one on each turnout, or is there some Rube Goldberg linkage so only one machine runs the whole shebang?
There are 4 of these machines.
Those pics are of a double cross over. You'd have to post some better pics of the wiring but I think it's worth trying to salvage them if the quality is good. You might substitute the switch machines with Tortoise units which have the switching built in and can probably mimick what you have. If it works with DC it will probably work with DCC.
Springfield PA
Hamltnblue You might substitute the switch machines with Tortoise units which have the switching built in and can probably mimick what you have. If it works with DC it will probably work with DCC.