I am using HO Atlas #6, code 100 turnouts with manually operated turnout machines. I have installed many turnouts in a small yard. I wired all three ends of each turnout to my buss line, as well as all track segments. My engines (one steam and one diesel) will travel over some of the turnouts without any electrical problem; however, when my engines travel over the other turnouts, I lose power. The problem seems to occur when my engines pass over some of the frogs (I think that is what you call them). Why do some turnouts cause me problems and some do not? What can I do to solve the problem I am having with problem turnouts?
Lets make sure we are talking about the same part of the turnout
The frog is not just that pointy thing but the rails just to the left of it. In your other thread about wiring turnouts, Randy suggested frog juicers and Ed suggested Caboose 220S ground throws otherwise it is electrically dead rail.
Is it related to the turnout size 4,6, or 8? The bigger the number the longer the frog. I have a Bachmann 45 tonner, no sound, who’s headlight flickers on one of my Wathers #5’s but not the other #5’s or the #4’s.
If you are not going to power the frog, then you are going to add some sort of keep alive capacitor to your engines. This assumes that the power pickup from the wheels to the decoder isn’t marginal and the source of your problems.
All turnouts are Atlas #283 (left hand) or #284 (right hand) HO Custom Line “Mark IV,” #6, code 100 turnouts.
I have laid 12 turnouts in my small yard and wired all 3 ends; however, I have a few turnouts I have not yet used so I have checked out one of them, electrically.
What I have discovered is the Frog (thanks for the diagram, Henry) conducts electricity, as shown by my multimeter, but there is no continuity between the Frog and any rails. There is a brass strip beneath the Frog but there is no electrical connection between the Frog and the brass strip. There is continuity between the brass strip and the upper stock rail in Henry’s diagram, the upper of the two Frog rails, and the upper of the two Closure rails.
I’m confused then. I thought the snap switches had plastic frogs and the custom line had pot metal frogs, that were all one piece. Based on that belief, the “upper frog rail” should not have continuity with anything.
IF there is no continuity between the frog and any rails (as stated above), then electricity cannot go from those rails (or anything supplying them) to the frog.
Thus the frog has to be isolated. As in unpowered. There is no way for power to get to it.
The following photos…the first one being an Atlas snap switch turnout with plastic frogs, which cannot be powered…
The second and third photos are Atlas customline Mark 3 turnouts with potmetal frogs, which can be powered and how to do so using Atlas Snap Relays. There are many other ways to do so…The Atlas relay is just one of them, if You want to stick to all Atlas components. The info that is wrote on the first photo was for another person…but it explains some of the short comings with a Snap Switch plastic frog turnout.
Let’s clear up any misstatements about the Atlas Custom Line and Mark IV turnouts.
Both the Custom Line and the Mark IV turnouts have an isolated metal frog. These turnouts are non-power routing and require no gapping in normal situations. So, if you wire all three ends of the turnout, the turnout is fully powered except the frog. The metal frog is, however, capable of being powered. This is true for both the Code 83 turnout and the Code 100 turnout.
When testing for continuity on an Atlas Custom Line or Atlas Mark IV turnout, if you put one probe on any left rail segment and the other probe on any other left rail segment, you should get continuity. Vice versa, if you put one probe on any right rail segment and the other probe on any other right rail segment, you should get continuity.
If you put both probes anywhere on the frog, you should get continuity.
However, if you put one probe on the frog and the other probe on any rail segment, you will not get continuity because the frog is isolated.
The guard rails on either side of the frog are plastic and, therefore, non-conductive.
Lastly, if you put the two probes on two same side rail segments anywhere on the turnout and do not get continuity, one or more of the embedded jumpers is no longer making proper contact with the rail segment.
The Frog has 2 small flanges, 1 on each side of the Frog, with a hole in each. Can I power the Frog by bringing a wire up from the bottom and connect it to one of the flanges and a buss line?
