HO DC reverse loop

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi all, I am new member and am trying to help my grandson Sam who has an interest in HO railroad. The layout we picked out has two reverse loop sections. I need to make the switchover automatic, but have no idea how to wire, or what modual I need. Please point me in the right direction. Book, comment or suggestion. Thank you for your time. VinceTC

2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-HOW-TO-WIRE-YOUR-MODEL-RAILROAD-BY-LINN-WESTCOTT-/281544665530?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item418d5ea9ba

Basically, what you need to do is wire the layout in such a way that the entire railroad (except the reversing section) is reversed while the train is on the reversing section. The book will explain it better than I can.

I don’t know if it can be done automatically with DC and if it can, the expense might just justify switching to DCC.

3

I believe there are circuits available that can automatically switch the polarity of the mainline so it is lined up properly when the train leaves the reverse loops.

Some years ago I simply used the Atlas Controller to do that manually when the train was traveling the reverse loop at each end of my loop to loop layout.

Here are a couple links to the traditional Atlas controller:

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Atlas-220-Controller-p/atl-220.htm

http://www.hobbylinc.com/atlas-controller-model-railroad-electrical-accessory-220

4

I Googled “auto reverse for dc model railroad” and got lots of hits. Here is the link to the first one on the page:

https://www.azatrax.com/automatic-reverse-loop.html

Good luck.

5

VinceTC,

I use Wescott’s book also. You can buy them used on Amazon for a few dollars. There are some newer ones out, but if your a DC guy, his is easiest to understand. (In my opinion)

I don’t know how you would make it automatic. You can make it as easy as 1 or 2 switches (I prefer 2 switch wiring, where one switch becomes the main direction controller)

It isn’t as hard to wire as you might think. A few things to remember (it’s all in the book):

  1. The reversing section must be longer than the longest train you intend to run (this is critical if your rolling stock has metal wheels)

  2. You can run both reversing sections off the same set of switches (one set per cab, if you are running multiple trains)

  3. A lot of reversing loops are hidden, so when designing make sure there is a way to identify when the train is in the loop after layout is finished.

Wescott’s book explains it all, just read it thoroughly.

Have fun!

Tim

Tim