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Need to hire a wiring furu

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Posted by Too old for N Scale on Monday, June 10, 2024 11:42 AM

I roughed in where I think you suggested the gaps should go into my drawing (red ink).  Is this what you had in mind, or did I miss something.Eno v7.2 with rail gaps

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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, June 10, 2024 12:00 PM

Too old for N Scale

I roughed in where I think you suggested the gaps should go into my drawing (red ink).  Is this what you had in mind, or did I miss something.Eno v7.2 with rail gaps

 

I cannot see it.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by crossthedog on Monday, June 10, 2024 12:32 PM

gregc
multiple locos on a DC layout are controlled using cab control. the layout is divided into block that a single loco can operate in.   size of blocks depend on where multiple locos need to operate

DCC doesn't require any blocks

one approach as to DPDT switch between DC and DCC to switch between a DCC command station and DC throttle and switch all the blocks to that throttle.

seems like a lot of trouble to divide the layout into blocks to dun some DC locos instead of just using DCC

Keeping in mind that my comment is continuing to NOT answer the question that the OP asked, I will say that Greg's summary is a good one and this is exactly what I did, and I have never damaged any of my locos going back and forth between DC and DCC.

I wanted to keep running my old childhood DC locos. I wanted to take advantage of DCC. I wanted to learn how to do block wiring because it was a challenge I felt would be useful to overcome. I succeeded. It was fun and satisfying, and with my block wiring I can run DC locos on my yard, branch and main tracks at the same time. It took a lot of wire. I ended up buying more DC locos, old Atlas Kato and Mehano locos I found cheap at swap meets, and I only ever bought two DCC locos, which I almost never use. Sound drives me crazy. I installed bright LEDs in a lot of my DC locos, so there is nothing DCC offers me that DC does not.

I don't know why we keep trying to change people's minds here when someone asks how to do this.

But to answer the question, I don't know how to hire a guru.

-Matt 

Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.

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Posted by Too old for N Scale on Monday, June 10, 2024 4:15 PM

Oops.  Looks like I forgot to open it to the public for viewing.  Please try it now.

jeff

 

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Posted by wjstix on Monday, June 10, 2024 4:17 PM

Like many of us, I had an existing DC layout that I "converted" to DCC by replacing one of the power packs with a DCC system. As noted by others here, I would try to have one 'master switch' so it's all DC or all DCC. The problems can come when an engine crosses the gap between a DC block and a DCC block.

There are in fact many advantages to DCC beyond sound, but it's a bit off topic here so I won't go into it. 

Stix
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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, June 10, 2024 4:41 PM

Too old for N Scale

Oops.  Looks like I forgot to open it to the public for viewing.  Please try it now.

jeff

That worked, Jeff.

Let me orient the way that I am looking at the diagram. As I view it, the turntable/roundhouse are located in the upper right corner of the diagram. Using that orientation, move those gaps on the right side up past the crossovers so that the gaps are above all of them. That way, those gaps and the gaps on the upper left side of the diagram are what I will call the "upper reversing section". Then, the gaps on the bottom of the diagram and the gaps on the lower left side of the diagram are what I call the "lower reversing section". All of the crossover on the left side and all of the crossovers on the right side and all of the afjacent track on either side form parts of the two non-reversing sections. You want to keep all of the crossovers outside of the reversing sections.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by Too old for N Scale on Monday, June 10, 2024 6:58 PM

Awesome.    Thank you, again.   Another question - Should the turnouts and double-slips have insulated frogs, electro-frogs, or "juiced" with a frog juicer and tortoise switch machine.  I'd rather not motorize the switches if it's not necessary.   

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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, June 10, 2024 8:15 PM

Too old for N Scale

Awesome.    Thank you, again.   Another question - Should the turnouts and double-slips have insulated frogs, electro-frogs, or "juiced" with a frog juicer and tortoise switch machine.  I'd rather not motorize the switches if it's not necessary.   

That depends on what type of locomotives you are running. The only locomotives that cause a problem are those with very short wheelbases. On my layout, all of my turnouts have insulated, dead, frogs. I don't use any frog juicers or keep alive decoders. 

On my prior layout(s), I used Atlas Custom Line turnouts powered by Tortoises. On my current layout, I use Peco Insulfrogs that are spring-loaded. So I can change routes with a flick of the finger, no Tortoises required.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by Too old for N Scale on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 6:22 AM

Awesome.  That makes my life so much easier.  Sorry with the continued questions, but.....with the reversing sections located as you suggest, the yard has one lead inside a reversing loop and the other lead outside in the main run.  Should I just put insulators on both ends and run it as a separate district, or is another reversing loop?

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 6:28 AM

Too old for N Scale

Awesome.  That makes my life so much easier.  Sorry with the continued questions, but.....with the reversing sections located as you suggest, the yard has one lead inside a reversing loop and the other lead outside in the main run.  Should I just put insulators on both ends and run it as a separate district, or is another reversing loop?

 

Keep those questions coming. Others may want to chime in, and answers to your questions may be helpful to others.

When you mention that one yard lead, where exactly is it?

Rich

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 6:37 AM

Oops, I missed that. Is it the two turnouts off the green mainline at the top of the diagram above the turntable? Yes, that should be gapped right after the diverging track on both turnouts to isolate the yard from the reversing section. You want to keep the yard wired as a non-reversing section. Good catch!

If you gap the turnout on the left side at the other end of the yard, you could treat it as a separate power district protected by its own circuit breaker. You could do something similar with the sidings on the peninsula.

Rich

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Posted by Too old for N Scale on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 7:04 AM

There are actually two leads at the top of the "loop" on the green track, the other lead is on the left side of the drawing on the green track just below the top gap on that side.  I could move that turnout up farther and rearrange the yard to all be within the reversing section if necessary.

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 7:36 AM

Too old for N Scale

There are actually two leads at the top of the "loop" on the green track, the other lead is on the left side of the drawing on the green track just below the top gap on that side.  I could move that turnout up farther and rearrange the yard to all be within the reversing section if necessary. 

Those two turnouts leading into the yard at the top of the diagram should be gapped at the end of the divergent track to isolate the yard outside of the reversing section. Same for the turnout on the left side. That's the way that I treated the yards on my layout. It is better to treat the yards as their own power districts outside of the reversing sections.

Your initial question when you first started this thread was about wiring. Suffice it to say, your entire layout can be wired the same way without regard to the reversing sections by installing gaps to isolate the reversing sections. That makes it a whole lot easier to complete the wiring.

The only special consideration for wiring the reversing section is that power to the input side of the auto-reverser must come from the bus wires on the non-reversing section. All of the feeders to the track inside the reversing section must be connected to the output side of the auto-reverser. No feeders from track inside the reversing section should stray to bus wires outside of the reversing section.

If you have a variety of colors for bus wire, you could use different colors for the reversing section to make identification a bit easier for troubleshooting purposes. I do that on my layout.

My bus wires are 14 gauge solid copper wire, and my feeders are 20 gauge solid copper wire. If I had it to do over, I would have used 22 gauge solid wire because the 20 gauge wire is just big enough to protrude above the rails if you are not careful soldering the wires to the rails. Some modelers prefer stranded wire for the bus wires. 

Rich

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 1:32 PM

What is a furu?

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by Too old for N Scale on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 1:38 PM

A typo followed by a lack of spell checking before I posted.  I meant guru, but by then it was too late.  I'm too old for N Scale, maybe I'm too old for cell phones tooTongue Tied  jeff.

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 2:11 PM

Mystery solved.  Couldn't edit the title?

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by Too old for N Scale on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 3:02 PM

Haha.  Didn't even think about doing that.  Once I started getting replies and comments back, I kinda let it go.  

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Posted by wjstix on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 3:49 PM

riogrande5761

What is a furu?

 

 
It's how Scooby-Doo says "guru". (Roh-Oh!)
Stix
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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 4:42 PM

For laughs, I Googled 'furu'. It is a slang term for "fake guru". LOL. Well, that doesn't speak well for any of us replying to this thread. My question is why would the OP want to hire a fake guru?  Laugh

Rich

Alton Junction

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