00 gauge inglenook layout wiring using Peco Electrofrog points

[Milano]

Hi folks. My first posting for a while. I am building a 00 gauge inglenook layout in a box file using two LH Peco Electrofrog points. Just need to know how many wiring feeds I need to use and do I need insulting joiners between each point.Trying to keep it as simple as possible but don't want to having stalling issues at each frog. Thanks

 

Milano

[chriswright03]

You may find this helpful  Not sure if you are DCC or not but this is good practice anyway.

 

https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/DCC.html#Live

[Brian]

Hi

If your points all lead to dead end sidings after their Vee rails and no rail feeds are connected to these siding rails after all the points, then you don't need IRJs.   

But IMO best practice is to always fit two IRJs to each points Vee rail ends and then add correct polariy rail feeds after the IRJs. These feeds on DC can be taken direct from the controller or previously feed rails prior to the points or via On/Off switches to provide isolation. 

You never know what in the future you may decided upon - change the track plan and make a siding come back onto the main track or just add feeds due to poor metal fishplate connections. In either case without IRJs a full short circuit will result!  So for the little extra work it is IMO well worth the effort.  

Edited January 15, 2018 by Brian

[Junctionmad]

Hi

If your points all lead to dead end sidings after their Vee rails and no rail feeds are connected to these siding rails after all the points, then you don't need IRJs.

But IMO best practice is to always fit two IRJs to each points Vee rail ends and then add correct polariy rail feeds after the IRJs. These feeds on DC can be taken direct from the controller or previously feed rails prior to the points or via On/Off switches to provide isolation.

You never know what in the future you may decided upon - change the track plan and make a siding come back onto the main track or just add feeds due to poor metal fishplate connections. In either case without IRJs a full short circuit will result! So for the little extra work it is IMO well worth the effort.

 

Could I humbly suggest that a ingkenook layout using two points is unlikely to need IRJs and siding power feeds and in reality is subjecting the OP to more wiring then necessary , a layout of this simplicity is likely to be fed from a single point and the points will supply isolation/power routing . The only complicatio is if a loop is introduced

 

Personally I always advocate wiring a layout for what you are building , not what might happen in the future , where I see " provision " for the future , it almost always is in the wrong place , or doesn't actually turn out to be useful. In the meantime it adds cost , complexity and time for no gain. That's not an excuse to not plan out things properly and wire according of course, including ensuring the wiring strategy supports the intended operation of the layout

 

" stalling issues at each frog"

 

PECO electrofrogs work straight out of the box and are live frogs , modifications can improve them but aren't mandatory

Edited January 15, 2018 by Junctionmad

[Pete the Elaner]

a layout of this simplicity is likely to be fed from a single point and the points will supply isolation/power routing . The only complicatio is if a loop is introduced

 

If oxidation builds up between rail & joiner, this can be a nuisance too. This is likely to happen after a few years, or less if the rail is rust-painted, ballasted & weathered. Isolating & re-feeding now will mean that it does not have to be pulled up later if you start to experience volt drop across a joint.

 

So although using pointwork out of the box with metal rail joiners should work perfectly in the short term, it is good practice to get into the habit of isolating & re-feeding because this will work in both short & long terms It will also make faults less likely to occur & easier to trace. It is also equally applicable to DCC if you want to go down that route.

If you get into the habit of isolating & re-feeding, you don't need to change your methods very much & it also makes feeding the frog by an external switch less of an issue.

 

Once Unifrog becomes more widespread, points will no longer self-isolate anyway. Those of us already in the habit of isolating & re-feeding won't be affected by this change.

[Chimer]

But has anyone, ever, kept an unchanged two-point inglenook for long enough for fishplate non-conductivity or lack of blade contact to become an issue?  I'm with JunctionMad on this one .....

 

Cheers

 

Chris

[Junctionmad]

I operate a Friends large layout , 16x 12 ' , three levels three stations,the vast majority relying on fishplate contact , to convert his layout to DCC, he just  closed all his DC isolating sections and fed the DCC power in through two wires

 

Works perfectly 

 

the layout is 20 years old 

Edited January 18, 2018 by Junctionmad