Bethlamb26 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) Hi, I am new here and I am sorry uf this is a duplicated question or posting and also apologies if it sounds like I am incredibly thick or stupid. I have recently bought some track for my railway and I am using Roco Geoline...great stuff. However the points on my passing loop are not isolating so I cannot have two trains on one layout as they both run when power is applied. Do I need insulating fishplates on any aspect of the points or are they just not suitable for good old fashioned DC Control. Any help would be very much appreciated Thanks Beth Edited January 14, 2018 by Bethlamb26 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelewis Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) I am not familiar with Roco Geoline but there are some other similar brands such as KATO Unitrack , where some ( but not all) points have the facility to be Isolating points or Non Isolating, this is achieved by positioning some small screws on the underneath of the points, to achieve which 'mode' is required. Welcome to the Forum!! I am sure that you will get a more definitive answer soon! Edited January 14, 2018 by Stevelewis Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 If they are like other Roco points they are not isolating. You will need an insulated joiner and switch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bethlamb26 Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 Hi Thanks for your replies, I will look into the isolating and switch mehod further. Sounds very complicated though but one for sure is I will never switch to DCC... I prefer DC. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chimer Posted January 14, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2018 Hi Beth It's not really complicated if all you've got is a single loop (and I've correctly understood how the points work) - hopefully this will help and is largely self-explanatory. The double black lines are isolating rail joiners (IRJs/fishplates), the thick lines are rails and the thin ones wires. You can get an SPDT (single pole double throw) switch from any electronics shop. The switch controls which loop track is live. One with a centre-off position (neither track powered) is often handy. Any questions, just ask. Best of luck Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Sounds very complicated though but one for sure is I will never switch to DCC... I prefer DC. No need to bring DCC into the equation & I don't see any mention of someone recommending it. It is good practice to isolate & re-feed anyway. It is a '1-technique-fits-all' solution & rail joiners are a weak spot, particularly once the track has been weathered & been in place for a few years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bethlamb26 Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Thank you very much for your replies, that diagram is very helpful and I have sourced a suitable switch for such a purpose. I know no-one mentioned DCC, i was just referring to my own stupidiity in buying track that is essentially for DCC operation and having to reverse engineer it for DC operation. A bit of extra soldering keeps a girl out of mischief i guess ☺ Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 It is something we will have to get used to. Unifrog behaves like this & Peco have switched to this design for their new bullhead range , so who knows if & when they will re-design their existing flatbottom range to be the same? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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