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Can I Turn off Power to a Siding by Having the Powered Joiner touch the end of the Atlas Turnout

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  • Member since
    June 2015
  • 9 posts
Can I Turn off Power to a Siding by Having the Powered Joiner touch the end of the Atlas Turnout
Posted by T-bird_the_Great on Monday, July 20, 2015 8:01 PM

So, as in the title, can I turn off power to the siding by having the joint where the end of the atlas turnout and the siding track meet have a rail joiner with a wire soldered to it and then wired to a toggle switch so that that individual siding is powered off or will that turn off the power to the rest of the turnout as well? Or do I have to the have the joint where the turnout end and the siding track meet have an insulated joiner instead, and then putting power somewhere else on the piece of siding track? Thank you

  • Member since
    July 2013
  • From: Stagecoach Nevada
  • 496 posts
Posted by crhostler61 on Monday, July 20, 2015 8:28 PM

Put in an insulated joiner or 2 if you want to totally isolate the siding. Unless Atlas came up with some new and radical turnout that cuts power by throwing the points...all the rails in the switch are powered all the time. I always isolate on both rails. But that's me.

Mark H 

Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history. 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Sebring FL
  • 841 posts
Posted by floridaflyer on Monday, July 20, 2015 8:35 PM

Agree with cr,power flows thru atlas turnouts. Unpowering the joiner will do nothing as power will come thru the turnout, thru the joiner in question and continue to provide power to the siding. Some folks isolate one rail, others isolate both rails, your choice.

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