My benchwork is 2 4x8 sheets of plywood in a L pattern.A six stale roundhouse a turntable 2 double crossovers a wye a3way and lots of turnouts.My question is I want to run trains in both directions on the whole layout can you make your layout a big reverse loop?
Barent,
You don’t mention if your layout is DC or DCC. If it is DC you will have to break the layout into blocks by isolating each block from the next and then supplying power through double pole double throw switches to change the polarity. Atlas makes such a switch as do numerous other manufacturers. I don’t know the length of your mainline, but I would guess you are going to need from 6-10 blocks. Essentially you change the polarity on each block as the train progresses around the layout. You are going to need passing sidings to run trains in both directions, or double track the whole mainline.
If your layout is DCC, the DCC system and the locomotive decoders can run without blocks or switches. You will still need passing sidings or a double tracked main to avoid ‘cornfield meets.’ You will need Auto Reversing Modules for the turntable and the reversing Wye.
If you are still in the building stage, as I assume you are, from the way you framed your question, I suggest going directly to DCC control. Wiring a DCC layout is much simpler than wiring a DC layout. Even with your relatively small layout, wiring it for DC to accomplish what you want to do would be a major undertaking.
Atlas publishes a book, The Complete Atlas Wiring Book, which walks you through the equipment and methodology for wiring a layout. It also touches on DCC.
There are innumerable web sites dedicated to DCC and DCC wiring which can also help you.
Decide which way you are going and the people on this forum will be more than glad to help.
Incidentally, Welcome to the forum.
I have the digitrax zepher.I have a main line and a branch line.The 2 crossovers connect the two together.What I am asking have you ever heard or seen a whole layout wiried as a reverse loop .Where you could run trains in either direction pretty much on all the track
You could certainly do this, but you’d have to mind the wiring–remember, you have to wire a reverse loop separately from the rest of the layout–and you’d still have to reverse the direction of trains outside the loop. If you want to run trains in more than one direction, you can do that with DCC.
if you are using DC, you might want to consider putting in a “dog bone” instead of a reversing loop, especially if you want the train to continously run throughout the layout…with a reversing loop, every time the train enters it you’ll have to throw a switch and a turnout for each pass…it’s really a pain in the you know what throwing turnouts and switches every time the train enters the loop…the only place that is really feasible in putting in a reversing loop is a turning track at the end of a yard where lots of switching is taking place…chuck
I found I needed two reverse loops because once you are going the other way you can’t enter the reverse loop unless you back the whole train thru!
Ken.
Barent,
My layout is both a point to point and reverse loop to reverse loop. If you try to wire your layout to be one big reverse loop, it won’t be a reverse loop… If what you are asking is that you want to be able to run trains in both directions on the same same track at the same time. The answer is that with DCC the direction of your trains is controlled by the throttle on your zepher, not the track. Each loco is controlled seperately and can change directions independent of the others. Cornfield meets, here we come. LOL To wire up a reverse loop to change the direction of your locos and train, I suggest you get polarity reversing gadget like the AR1 from digitrax (since you are already using the Zepher). There are many others also. To be able to reverse both ways, you need a reverse loop on each end of the track. This can be done with a single AR1 but if so you can only have one train in a reverse loop at a time. I don’t know if this answers the question, but …???