I have a double loop in a extended dog bone lay out. Put a set of 2l and 2r hand switches in a strait away so I could go from inside to outside track. Everything works fine till I try to go through the switches to the other track. Inside to outside and vice versa. I am using Bachman DCC and its wired with sections throughout the track. All outside rails are red and inside are black. Have checked and double checked wiring, trains run fine except for switches. Advice please christmas is coming and the unveiling is soon so i need help. thanks GENE
What type of turnouts/switches are you using? If they are not DCC friendly when you throw the points of the turnout you could be creating a short circuit.
JIM
If you have a dog bone layout and connected the two ‘shank’ tracks you have a reverse loop. You will need to isolate the loop with insulated rail joiners and provide a means to flip the polarity (techincally phase since it’s DCC). You cna use a DPDT switch, but a better way is to use an autoreverser like MRC, the Digitrax AR-1, or Tony’s PS-Rev to do this automatically.
–Randy
the switches are atlas code 100. what is weird is the operation straight thru the switch is fine its just trying to make the crossover.
Since the frogs in each switch are likely to be insulated from the rest of the track, it pretty much leaves the conclusion that you have somehow miswired the siding. Power is acceptable in configuration for all locomotives on the main loop, and up to the frog, I take it, but as they traverse the frog and a powered set of drivers meets the far diverging rails, it shorts. That suggests a wires-are-backwards problem.
Follow the outside rail round the loop and into the crossover turn out. You will almost certainly find that you are now on the inside rail when you get back to the main line at the end of the crossover. The train will now be facing the other way on the track. As Randy said this is a reversing loop. This has to be handled by some means, either a manual polarity reverse or an automatic reverse controller. If not you are creating a dead short. The reason it works with the straight thru direction is that there is no changing of polarity and therfore no reverse.
It’s absolutely a reverse loop. Here’s a dog bone (well sort of): (========)
Here’sa dogbone with a pair of switches in the middle: (====/===)
100% reverse loop. This is the problem. Actually, it’s two reverse loops connected to each other.
–Randy
thank you all for the responses. Now the next thing is a really simplistic way to fix the problem. I am terrible with the electrical part all other aspects were a breeze. again thanks this site is great people helping people like me.
Could I use a Walters Double crossover to aleivate the problem since they are DCC friendly.
The problem does not lie in the turnouts. The problem as mentioned before is there are two reverse loops that you are attempting to run end to end. I suggest you use a reverser and move the electrical gaps/block just long enough to hold a train in each loop. This way a section in the loop will be treated like a reverse loop and everything around your crossover can be treated as true straight through polarity. The problem is if you leave as is you need a polarity change, but if the reverse section is further away from the crossover then the change will be at the gaps.
Thats just how I would do it, but this comes froma guy with no reverse loopson his DCC layout.
As Randy stated about the revers models. I have used all and removed all but the one from Tomy’s PSREV. It si EASY to hook up and works every time. MRC could not handle the job and the Digitrax was to slow.