Just to say best: explanation of why and how to wire a Peco turnout. I had just figured it out myself when I came across this. Very well shown! I'm keeping this for reference.
Bruce, your "How to video showing some basic DCC theory for a Peco code 75 turnout and how to prepare it for a tortoise motor." was superb with excellent simple graphics up front. You are a teacher. Is there an email I may contact you on another, or continued, subject?
Could you please tell me what problems can occur when the entire central section of the turnout changes polarity? The blades are there to switch the polarity of the whole internal section of the point, and polarity switching can be supported by the wire connected to the frog. It is a very nice video, thank U, but I do not see what advantages I would be able to draw from modifying these points. Though I have a DC system.
The biggest risk is out of gauge wheels that could short. Sort that out and you'll be fine. The advantage of this is that if you get some dirt between the stock rails and the blades, you get a dead central section (blades and flog). Longer locos could span across the dead zone but shunters will stop, especially at very low speeds. I hate having to nudge my locos. If you are not bugged by this and are happy to nudge your locos every now and again then there is no advantage.
Thanx for the response! :) The risk you have mentioned is there, that is true. But the dirt between the stock rails and the blades can cause a dead central section only if the frog is not fed through its wire . Please correct me if I am wrong!
I had wired all of my son's turnout's in this fashion. Unfortunately large steam engine's (Big Boy) will cause shorts in this method. The solution is to go one step further and only power one point rail at a time.
Oh wow. Thanks for the heads up. Thinking off the cuff (very dangerous) you'd probably have to use both sides of the tortoise internal switch to power the switch blades which is unfortunate. Then you can't use the second switch for signals or other peripherals unless you can convert DCC track power to DC for signals etc. All rather complicated. I run South African stuff so I don't have that problem. Our bigger steamers were Garratts - articulated 4-8-2+2-8-4 and Class 25s 4-8-4.
What I did was I used one side of the tortoise to power a 4 pole relay. I used two of the relay ports for track power and a third one for powering a dual coloured LED back at the control panel. This way we have one additional port on the relay as well as the second switch on the tortoise. Eventually these may be used for signals or something else we think of!!!
The only useful bit of advice in this video is to remove the spring from the point when using tortoise motors. You can save yourself a whole lot of work by cutting through the frog rails just past the frog, then soldering jump wire across the relative stock rails, the frog polarity is then switched by the moving blades.
True, but the whole purpose of this exercise is to get away from relying on contact between the moving blade and the stock rail for flog polarity (if I understand you correctly). Frog polarity via a switch machine is far more reliable, albeit more work.
What I mean is that this is all possible with two short pieces of wire just beyond the frog, cut through both rails forming the frog, this basically turns it into an insulfrog without the limp of platistic, then using short lengths of wire just beyond the cut, solder them left hand stock rail to left hand stock rail on the divergence and repeat for the RH stock rail. yes this does rely on the blade to switch polarity, but that is why the spring is there,providing you maintain your track correctly there should be no problem.
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Its such a pleasure to see an SAR channel at last and thank you for posting. Great looking rolling stock
Just to say best: explanation of why and how to wire a Peco turnout. I had just figured it out myself when I came across this. Very well shown! I'm keeping this for reference.
+Paul Delcour Thanks Paul. Glad it can be of help in the future.
The neatest soldering I have seen.
Thank you Geoff
Very well done! One of the best how to videos yet! Thanks for posting.
+MWRR R Thank you.
Bruce, your "How to video showing some basic DCC theory for a Peco code 75 turnout and how to prepare it for a tortoise motor." was superb with excellent simple graphics up front. You are a teacher. Is there an email I may contact you on another, or continued, subject?
Thanks, great advise
Cool advice.. thanks for sharing and keep up the great work.. Lance
Thanks Lance. Keeping up the good work depends on my toddlers though :)
Great tutorial
Thank you
Your welcome. I watched your tarpaulin video and made some for myself using your guide
Could you please tell me what problems can occur when the entire central section of the turnout changes polarity? The blades are there to switch the polarity of the whole internal section of the point, and polarity switching can be supported by the wire connected to the frog. It is a very nice video, thank U, but I do not see what advantages I would be able to draw from modifying these points. Though I have a DC system.
The biggest risk is out of gauge wheels that could short. Sort that out and you'll be fine. The advantage of this is that if you get some dirt between the stock rails and the blades, you get a dead central section (blades and flog). Longer locos could span across the dead zone but shunters will stop, especially at very low speeds. I hate having to nudge my locos. If you are not bugged by this and are happy to nudge your locos every now and again then there is no advantage.
Thanx for the response! :) The risk you have mentioned is there, that is true. But the dirt between the stock rails and the blades can cause a dead central section only if the frog is not fed through its wire . Please correct me if I am wrong!
price of rail ?
I had wired all of my son's turnout's in this fashion. Unfortunately large steam engine's (Big Boy) will cause shorts in this method. The solution is to go one step further and only power one point rail at a time.
Oh wow. Thanks for the heads up. Thinking off the cuff (very dangerous) you'd probably have to use both sides of the tortoise internal switch to power the switch blades which is unfortunate. Then you can't use the second switch for signals or other peripherals unless you can convert DCC track power to DC for signals etc. All rather complicated. I run South African stuff so I don't have that problem. Our bigger steamers were Garratts - articulated 4-8-2+2-8-4 and Class 25s 4-8-4.
What I did was I used one side of the tortoise to power a 4 pole relay. I used two of the relay ports for track power and a third one for powering a dual coloured LED back at the control panel. This way we have one additional port on the relay as well as the second switch on the tortoise. Eventually these may be used for signals or something else we think of!!!
The only useful bit of advice in this video is to remove the spring from the point when using tortoise motors. You can save yourself a whole lot of work by cutting through the frog rails just past the frog, then soldering jump wire across the relative stock rails, the frog polarity is then switched by the moving blades.
True, but the whole purpose of this exercise is to get away from relying on contact between the moving blade and the stock rail for flog polarity (if I understand you correctly). Frog polarity via a switch machine is far more reliable, albeit more work.
What I mean is that this is all possible with two short pieces of wire just beyond the frog, cut through both rails forming the frog, this basically turns it into an insulfrog without the limp of platistic, then using short lengths of wire just beyond the cut, solder them left hand stock rail to left hand stock rail on the divergence and repeat for the RH stock rail. yes this does rely on the blade to switch polarity, but that is why the spring is there,providing you maintain your track correctly there should be no problem.
Horsham Walters g
That’s horse-dung, switch blades will eventually wear and you will have poor connectivity.
@@Haymarket47 I doubt you will live that long, unless of course you are swtching the points thousands of times a day.
Nice tutorial! I've subbed to your channel. Check mine out. Cheers. Dave
Thanks Dave. I will do so.