Have used all Atlas turnouts on my layout but am going to expand a yard and a curved turnout is the only thing that will fit. Will be using a Walthers 7.5 and my question is are the Walthers 'DCC friendly" or power routing.
The DCC friendly versions are conspicuously marked DCC friendly. Something like “For both DC and DCC layouts”. They have insulated frogs.
I’m not sure they still make nonDCC friendly versions, and any that you might find may be old stock.
The ones currently sold under the Walthers brand are DCC friendly types, with dead frogs and points that stay the same polarity as the adjacent stock rails.
EDIT Must have been typing at the same time as the post above.
Thanks guys
I used 5 of the 7-1/2s on my layout. Suggest to check the model # where you buy them against the Walthers site to ensure getting the latest version. Below is a detailed description of wiring for these, if you want to wire the frogs also. I did that with my 20-some W-S turnouts and once built into my procedure it was not much additional work, especially if using something like a Tortoise with the auxiliary contacts. These curved guys have pretty long frogs.
Note that the below description also gets into (optionally) jumpering to the moveable part of the point rails, from the already jumpered closure rails, to positively power the moveable point part. This gets around the hinge (mainly a mechanical device) and/or the point contact with the stock rail (e.g., assisted by the Tortoise spring tension) being less than 100% perfect. I’d guess most folks who power the frog do not do the jumpering to the moveable points. Just keep the points contact surfaces very clean (e.g., if painting track) and ensure good spring tension at the points to maintain contact.
Also, do a continuity check on the built in jumpers (you can see them underneath) before installing as there are occasional breaks. I had one I installed in faulty condition and could have caught it. It was solved by adding an extra feeder but I would have preferred not having to do a fix to an installed item.
Other details…ensure the turnout stays flat; these curved ones are long and can have a twist if the subroadbed is not near perfectly flat. And note the ties are thinner that Atlas code 83 ties if that’s what you have. Some don’t find this makes for a real problem but some (I followed that) make a shim for under the turnout. The Atlas code 83 is code 100 railhead height (due to thicker ties) so the difference is 0.017". A shim of 0.015" styrene, or cut out a piece of the turnout box cardboard and spray lacquer it, w
Here is how Walthers describes its Walthers Shinohara Code 83 DCC Friendly curved turnout:
Features electrically isolated frogs and points to eliminate polarity problems that may cause short circuits when decoder-equipped locos or cars with metal wheels enter the turnout.
Fully assembled with:
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Pre-Wired Jumper
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Isolated Frog with Built-in Connection (an access point allows you to convert to a live frog if desired)
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Powered Points with Correct Polarity
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Point Clearance Gaps to Prevent Short Circuits From Metal Wheelsets
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Insulated Tie Bar
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Tab Reinforcement to Hold Points More Securely
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Option to Power Frog Through Switch Machines
I have a few on my layout. They are not power routing, and the frogs are isolated but may be powered.
Rich
I have a couple of them. They work very well for me. I drive them with Tortoise machines. You definitely want to power the frogs.
I don’t think that you need to power the frogs. They are very tiny on the Walthers Shinohara curved turnouts and don’t seem to present any problem.
Rich
I have several 7.5’s and run short diesel switchers (DCC/Sound even) over the unpowered frogs regularly and never have a problem. Maybe we are the lucky ones.
I have a couple of trolleys and an 0-6-0 tank engine, along with a lighted caboose and some passenger cars. In truth, I’m not sure any of them had any problems on this particular turnout, but they have stalled on others.
In any case, it is much easier to just power the frog during installation than it is to discover later that you should have.
We’re having a lot of success powering frogs with the Blue Point devices from A-Line that throw the points and change frog polarity via a DPDT switch. Very simple and strong.
I, too, have several of the #7.5 Walthers code 83 curved turnouts. I have not powered the frogs and have never had a locomotive, including sound equipped, stall in the turnouts. My diesel locomotives are all four axle models, some with sound, most without. I have two Bachmann Spectrum steamers–a three truck Shay and a two truck Climax. In spite of the Climax’s short wheelbase, both of these also go through the dead fron turnouts without any problems. But with your particular locomotives and set up powering the frogs might prove necessary. I suggest you attach the necessary wires and insert them in appropriate holes in the roadbed when you install the turnouts. Then, if you have any difficulty due to unpowered frogs, getting power to them should be pretty easy.
With regard to BluePoint turnout controls the units themselves work great. But I had difficulty routing the push/pull rods from each of seven turnouts to a control panel. Much easier to run wire–it doesn’t mind sharp corners and other wiggles that might be necessary. The result was sketchy operation. I eventually replaced them with Tortoise machines.
Good luck.
Fast Tracks sells a similar item which they call the Bull Frog. It works quite well. It can be purchased assembled or unassembled if you’d like to save a bit of money.
I’ve always routed the control rods to the fascia at the turnout, but Fast Tracks do make a couple of items that work in conjunction with the Bull Frog to enable routing the rods around corners and such.
The Fast Track control rods look exactly like the ones I used. They bend pretty easily but there is a limit. I also did not have the little black retainer clip to affix to the back of the panel.
Maybe next time. Thanks for the tip.
I have many Walthers/Shinohara Code 83 curved turnouts and have powered several frogs because of problems with a brass loco and short wheelbase doodlebug (and an occasionally operated old Varney 0-4-0). Because I use manual turnout controls, I powered the frogs with Frog Juicers. You can easily add the wire to the frog after installation of the turnout by running the wire to the guardrail adjacent to the frog.
Now this was done before I became aware of keep-alives (actually, Frog Juicers are cheaper overall). I did have to add a keep-alive to an original edition of a P2000 USRA 0-8-0 by LifeLike that does not have a tender pick-up and suffered slight hesitations on some unpowered frogs.
Dante