Has anyone wired a Fast Tracks Double Crossover? I bought one off of Ebay. The four frogs are live. They each have a wire that is attached from beneth the rail. The crossover was built with #8 frogs so they neet to be powered so the engines don't stall going through them.
The person advertising them said to use Tortoise switch machines to power the frogs. That's where I am running into problems. I haven't powered them yet. I want to get it right before soldering the wires up and having shorts.
Here is a photo
The yellow areas are where the track is gapped. The red spots are where the frogs are wired.
If anyone has done this successfully I would appreciate seeing a schematic on the wiring.
Thanks,
Bill
Go to fastrack.com website and log onto the forum. In there I think I saw a diagram for wiring. Without looking into the double crossover switch it seems to me more than one Tortoise with auxiliary contacs would be needed to move the points and reversing the polarity of the frogs to coinside with the direction of the loco. You have points at each end. no? With a unit like Digitrax DS-64 you can hook up two sets of points/Tortoises, to operate off of one set of terminals on the DS-64.
Shouldn't be too tough to figure out.
Hope this helps you out.
Jules
I'll try to describe it, and look for a diagram later. This is assuming DCC!
Then you look at the crossover there are sveral sections that only depend on whether the crossover is set to straight, or crossing. You can wire those to the contacts in a tortoise, or a DPDT, or some other means. The secion in the middle depends on which way the train is going, you can use an autoreverser to control that section.
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Jules, Thanks for the tip to check out Fast Tracks forums. They had exactly what I was looking for.
Below is a picture if anyone is interested.
Bill, glad it helped you out.
For anyone interested, If you purchase Fastracks double crossover jig you can make single turnouts with it. Just use the appropriate groves, no law say's you have to use em all. Or even a single crossover.
Jules,
So...are you saying that you could technically buy a FT double-crossover jig and build the following turnouts:
Course, you'd be constrained to whichever turnout no. jig you purchase and the set CTC width between the tracks. Is this a correct understanding?
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
jimsabol wrote:This is great data for a double crossover. Does anyone know whether the Fasttracks forum has a similar wiring diagram for a double slip switch? If so, could a member post it to this list? Thanks. Jim here.
Tom. Not sure of the specifics. I just read on Fastracks site/forums, that it was possible.
selector wrote:No special wiring is needed for the Fast Tracks #8 double slip. I gapped the rails per Tim's instructions, and placed it in position using rail joiners at all rail ends. The turnout gets fed very well from the extremities, and I have not had any stalls on mine, not with any engine.
If you wanted two double slip turnout going in two dirrections, one NS the other EW at the same spot Tim could build it. Throw a double mainline track going SW to NE for good measure. I'll bet he could still do it.
So if one where to buy the #6 and the #8 DB cross overs, you could build all #6 and #8 turnouts?!?! This would be very doable if this is the case.
Been looking into building my own for the high quality and since I'm just getting started it might be the more economical way to go. They really have some good, solid looking stuff. And keep in mind I'll be running big U.P. motive power so track is going to be KEY