In reading over The Beer Line articles, I note that they seemed to solder all the turnouts together (or groups anyway). I learned that if the points face each other you need insulation joints. I’m working with DCC now… can I solder my turnouts into one unit, forgetting the orientation of the turnouts?
Allen
I’m not sure why you’d need insulated joints at the point end of the turnout, DC or DCC shouldn’t make a difference. Depending on the brand and type, you may need insulated joints at the frog end of the turnout, which is also the best place to break a block for easiest operation.
Okay, I worded that improperly… can I solder both rails of the frog end to each other? I’m not interested in setting up blocks in this area.
Allen
If your points are insulated from each other, then you can do that with no problem, either direction.
But either way, you can solder turnouts together at the bench, and then cut the necessary gaps in them later.
Depends on what brand and type turnout you’re working with. For example, Atlas turnouts have all the rails coming out of the frog properly polarized and isolated so there’s no short circuit at any setting. These can be soldered. I’m not really familar with any of the other brands.
I’m using Atlas code 83 Customlines so I should be just fine then.
Thanks all!
Allen
If your turnouts are what Peco calls insulfrog type, where there is no way to cause a short between the rails by throwing switches at the ends of a siding in opposite directions, you can solder everything together and not worry about electrical continuity. (You might have to worry about rail heaves if your layout might undergo extreme temperature swings, but that’s a different story.)
OTOH, if you have so-called ‘hot’ frogs, you will have to put gaps in the rails between frogs. Whether you do that in original construction or cut the gaps later isn’t critical. The key is that insulating gaps have to be held open by some kind of insulating material. A simple gap will inevitibly slide shut, and can be extremely difficult and frustrating to pin down as the source of the short.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
The issue is whether you have power routing turnouts. In a power routing turnout - the points, frog, and the rails beyond the frog are all connected and get their power from the rail that the points are against. This means that both rails in the non selected route (or leg of the turnout) have the same polarity. Thus if you connect both rails of a leg to track that has feeders you will get a short unless you insulate the rail from the frog when joining to other track. If you have non-power routing turnouts then the rails of each leg always have opposite polarity and can be connected to other track however you want - that is insulated or not insulated.
Atlas turnouts are non-power routing.
Enjoy
Paul
I from Belgium,
First use as possible “live frog” if you want small loco slowly operate on your turnout; but anyway it’s better to use turnouts or any other type of switches with live frog.
I you are DCC or DC only, make your turnout DCC friendly as we say, it’s the best way to power the frog and the points with reliability.
Here is a web site which explain how to wire turnouts or any switchs
From personal experience I solder my turnouts once they have been in operation for awhile and I’m sure of the way I want them and have no operational issues with them or their layout. Only then do they get soldered in permanently. I have found that when making changes once your track is soldered in it is easier to cut the joints rather then trying to unsolder them.
When I disassembled my first attempt at a yard I lost 6 turnouts because they where too hard to separate from each other.