Peco are power routing switces. This is useful in DC systems where you want to have an engine sit off on the spur and not respond to throttle commands.
To Fix:
For every track past the frog, you need to have feeder wires on the + and - leg. You also need to gap the inside rails, just past the frog. I know because I did the conversion for our club to DCC and had to work with PECOs.There is an advantage to this. If you approach the turnout backwards and against the points (switch thrown the wrong way) the loco will cut out before it derails. (But you'll also get a short) Make sure you have a breaker set to 3 amps or less.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
When I want to keep the diverging route alive on a Peco Insulfrog switch, I add short jumpers undernieth the switch before I install it. I cut the plastic strip between the ties on the underside of the switch and solder solid wire between the stock rail and the lead rail just behind the points. I do it on both stockrails. This keeps both routes through the switch alive at all times. And if I want to isolate the track later I can just cut a gap and glue in some Styrene to keep the gap from closing.
Chad, the feeder wires that you soldered to the ends of that spur track must not be connected to the main bus wires. That is the only way that the condition shown on the video could occur.
If the feeders were wired to the main bus wires, there would be continous power to the spur because you wired the spur. But, on the video, once the loco is on the spur, when you throw the point back to the main, the power routing feature of the Insulfrog cuts power to the spur.
Incidentally, at 1:19 of the video, you say that you threw the switch back to the main but the loco is still moving on the spur. That would seem to contradict my assumption that the feeder wires on the spur are not connected to the main bus wires. However, a few seconds later on the video, we see you throwing the points to the main and then power is lost to the spur track, consistent with my assumption. So, my question to you is what did you do at 1:19 of the video. If you threw the switch back to the main, why were the point rails still thrown divergent when your camera moved to show the switch?
Rich
Alton Junction
Quote:
Here is the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzqrKkh3AOM
Made your link clickable:
Frank
HO Scale modeler of Union Pacific and Iowa Chicago and Eastern Railroads.
ChadMichaels So I need to add feeders to the the end by the throw bar correct?
So I need to add feeders to the the end by the throw bar correct?
Im uploading a video showing what my issue is on youtube. As soon as it's there I'll post the link.
Whoa! If your feeders attach to the end of the spur, you should always have power on the spur. The condition you describe reads as though the feeders attach to the points end of the power-routing turnout that would route power to the spur when lined for the spur and the main when lined for the main. Did you correctly describe what you have?
Dante
P.S. Or when you say you lose power, are you losing power on the main or the spur? And where do you feed the main?
If I understand what you did, you connected the power to the end of the spur. Power connections should be at the point end of the turnout, not at the frog end.
I'm sure there are hundreds of topics on this but can't seem to find them. So here I go..I'm just now trying to wire up my DCC layout. I'm using Peco Insluforog switches.
As I attached feeder wires to the end of my dead end track I ran a test. When coming off the main line into track I have power, but when I line switch back to main I loose power. How do I keep that track live at all times? I relalize these are power routing switches but how can I keep them live at all times?
Chad