Peco medium radius electrofrog SL 98 issues

[DCB]

After some 30 or more years the Peco electrofrog 2ft radius trailing  turnout to the loco depot on my father in laws layout developed a fault.  Some coaches began derailing while travelling through from heel to toe on the straight route.  Not all but enough to be annoying.

The worst a set of Mainline Staniers rewheeled with Bachmann wheels.   Investigation showed they were dropping into the joggle cut in the stock rail to take the point blade.  The back to backs were between 14.2 and 14.5 mm and the tyre widths were insufficient to span the gap.

Opening the B to B past 14.5 caused problems elsewhere.

 

I checked the point against a newer peco point and the design had changed greatly reducing the "Joggle"  I quickly decided to reduce the joggle and after wrecking the point I decided to change it for a newer point. The new 2 ft one was about 5mm longer.   There was plenty of room so as I had to cut rails anyway I went for a 3ft SL 98E (I think)

 

I fitted it, trains ran smoothly but some locos stuttered.  There was an insulated joiner at the heel end on the through road and there was a momentary loss of power with some locos. The point blade was making contact, it caused much head scratching, but in the track pile was a corroded old SL 98e from 30 years ago so I swapped it over.  Same problem. I cleaned the rails and little tags on the point blades.  Perfect, tried the test loco, a Hornby N15 with one axle pick up. Perfect.    

 

A quick check with a multimeter revealed the little bridge wire under the insulated blob in the closure rail had broken.  I reattached it making an awful mess with the soldering iron, but it set me thinking.

 

Just how many variations of Peco Code 100 RH electrofrog points are there?   Ones with solid closure rails incorporating the frog check rail like I used, Split closure rail, like the faulty one, solid closure rail but separate frog check rail as per latest adverts.   Probably deep and shallow joggle versions of the early one.

And which are best? I would have thought the faulty one was best for DCC, the latest just seems to have lots of insulated bits despite being nominally electrofrog..

 

Is there a definitive guide?

[Roy Langridge]

That third image doesn't look like an electrofrog point to me. I have had no issues with the latest versions on dcc.

 

Roy

[Drawed]

I had a similar query with SL 91 several years ago and emailed Peco.

 

The answer I got was “The design has changed a few times over the years, but it would difficult to give exact dates”.

 

 

 

 

Eddie

[Pete the Elaner]

I agree with Roy. The point in the 3rd photo is definitely an insulfrog.

 

Many of us make an effort to remove the bridge wire. The idea is to bond switch & stock rails together. There are gaps in the webbing which allow you to do this.

You will then need to wire the frog to these through a switch, which is much more reliable than the contact between rail & blade, especially once you have weathered & ballasted, no matter how carefully you do it.