Using n scale ME#6’s…I can’t tell by looking exactly how to best remove the throwbar between the point rails. I assume that it’s just finely soldered but I’m wondering about the best way to remove it for circuitboard install. Soldering gun? clippers? Can’t find info anywhere!..J
Why exactly are you wanting to remove the throwbar? just so you can attach a PCB throwbar to the point rails?
seems kind of… erm… counterproductive… if you ask me…
I guess I may not know exactly what I’m talking about! I’m just trying to make a DCC friendly turnout. I thought the throwbar was the little metal piece connecting the point rails…Do I have the wrong terminology? Anyway, I can’t tell how to take it off without destroying the points. Please help!?..J
you are correct about the throwbar… but it is NECESSARY for the turnout to work properly. It is not the throwbar you have to worry about anyway, but the frog. http://wiringfordcc.com has a list of DCC-friendly turnouts, as well as instructions on how to take non-DCC friendly ones and make them DCC-friendly
Ok…I’ve read through the wiring-for-dcc pages, but I can’t find how to take the throwbar off. That’s why I’d like to know if I need to use a soldering gun, clippers, or what, to remove it without damage…J
My advice is don’t change out the throw bar unless you are experiencing short circuits from the backs of wheels touching the open point - which is of opposite polarity to the adjacent stock rail. Substituting a non-conductive throw bar for the existing metal piece is not a trivial exercise, especially in N. While making the substitution is recommended for reducing short circuits, it is a lot of work for a problem you may not be experiencing.
Current accepted “good” wiring practice for turnouts (DC or DCC, doesn’t matter) is to have the points insulated from each other and electrically connected to the adjoining stock rail at all times. The reason this is called “DCC friendly” is that short circuits in DC generally only affect one train, but short circuits in DCC cause shutdown of the entire power district (the whole layout if only a single power district).
Traditional turnouts like past ME and Shinohara production made some allowance for the possibility of the wheel backs contacting the open point by making their point throw a little longer, which made the gap between open point and stock rail wider, and therefore harder for a wheel to bridge. If your wheels and turnouts are correctly gauged, you will seldom encounter this short circuit.
The other wiring problem that occurs with both DCC and DC wiring with traditional turnouts is feeder location and frog gaps. Basically, the rule is that there can be no feeder in either of the frog rails on the diverging side of the turnout. Since good practice is to provide feeders frequently, insulating gaps must be placed between the track feeds and the frog in the frog rails. This is because any live frog has to change polarity when the turnout is thrown.
If you must replace the metal throw bar:
- There is usually a rivet or similar pivot that links the metal throwbar to the plastic “long tie” underneath that is connected to your throw mechanism. Drill this out. Remove the plastic “long tie”.
thank you for the help…much appreciated…John