I'm wondering if I need a feeder wire to the frog on the Walthers DCC turnouts? Seen this I
on a few articles and videos.
Is it necessary? Recommended?
Starting on the yard and want to do right the first time. Going to run 0-8-0 locomotives in the yard.
Craig North Carolina
Craig,
The ultimate determining factor in whether or not a live frog is beneficial is whether the wheelbase of all the wheels that have electrical pickup is longer than the unpowered frog. Your 0-8-0s may be fine.
On the other hand, what if you decided to run shorter locos in the future? Or find that even with the 0-8-0 you still have some contact issues?
I just go ahead and power all my frogs through contacts on the switch machines (I have a few spots where I use a Caboose Industries ground throw, too.) Others here recommend at least attaching a wire to power the frog and leave it dangling underneath the roadbed just in case it turns out they need a powered frog. It's much easier to go ahead and do this than to add the frog leads later.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
This is one of those jobs that's easy to do when you're installing the turnout and much more effort later on. So, I would say to do it now.
At the very least, get some green wire and attach a piece to the frog before you glue down the turnout. It's easier to do this on your workbench than on ballasted track. Drill a hole and drop the wire through, and it will be there for later if you need it.
Since you've asked about Tortoises in another thread, once again, it's easier to wire the frog before stuff is installed.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Which pin of the tortoise machine does this lead wire connect to?
Download the Tortoise instruction sheet here and see pg. 2.
http://circuitron.com/index_files/Tortoise.htm
The frog would be connected to either terminal (CORRECTION) 4 or 5, depending on which set of 3 aux contacts you use for frog powering. (The other set of 3 can be used to switch an on layout switch indicator, etc). The two terminals that go with, say terminal 3 output, would be wired to the two track sources (e.g., each bus at that location). So the aux contacts reverse the polarity to the frog when the Tortoise changes positions.
BTW, suggest using barrier / terminal strips for undertable Tortoise and frog connections. It's then easy to connect your various wires. Prewire the Tortoise at the workbench, then make connections using the terminal strip under the table. I ended up needing 5 or 8-item strips. Two for the Tortoise terminals 1&8 which throw the switch, 3 for frog powering and 3 for (optional, of course) signal lights I added for fun by the mainline turnouts.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Some info that might be applicable to your situation:
I have a LifeLike P2000 1st edition 0-8-0 wherein the only pickups are the drivers (newer models have tender pickups also, I understand). I found a couple of unpowered frogs on which the loco would hesitate despite the frogs being short and despite my best efforts to level the turnouts perfectly. My nearest Tam Valley Frog Juicer was maxed out. Rather than add another multiple Frog Juicer or a manual turnout control with wire connectiions, I added a TCS Keep-Alive to the decoder-problem solved.
By the way, it is not necessarily a problem to add frog feeders after the turnout is laid. All of mine were done after installation as I determined which frogs require power by operating my various motive power. I acknowledge that the turnouts were not yet ballasted, but so what? Just poke a small starter hole through the ballast with an awl or nail, then drill a small hole (1/16" diameter works) next to a frog guardrail (mine are electrically one with the frog itself) and attach and drop the feeder (suggest 22awg solid) as you would any other feeder.
Dante
peahrensThe frog would be connected to either terminal 3 or 7, depending on which set of 3 aux contacts you use for frog powering.
Here's the diagram.
The frog wire should go to either terminal 4 (with the track feeders going to 2 & 3) or to terminal 5 (with the track feeders on 6 & 7.) This is sometimes confusing, because the Tortoise doesn't follow the normal convention of putting the common terminal in the center.
Nice picture. LION cannot remember this kind of stuff. Him knows that the outside two are "motor" and inside two are "common", after that it is just a matter of seeing which of the other pins has the power when you want it. After all, either direction of the Tortoise could be the Normal route depending upon your track and how you mounted the thing.
LION attaches a length of Cat-5 cable to the tortoise, and runs this out to the side of the layout where him used nails for binding posts and a majyck marker to tell him what these nails represent. Him can play with it there, since there is no way the LION can possibly go under the table.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS