Help needed with my track plan

[Milano]

Folks 

I am building a small oo gauge shunting layout using Peco code 100 electrofrog points - 1 RH and 2 LH but need some help with the wiring of it. I am using DC gaugemaster combie  controller. I have attached a copy of the track plan so can anyone tell me where to put  the track feeds and the plastic rail joiners please.

Many thanks 

Milano

[DCB]

Try this. If the drawing is to scale its going to be about impossible to shunt as there is not enough length beyond the points for a loco and trucks reasonable number of trucks.   With no run round you need a second loco to shunt the top kick back siding.

[Milano]

David 

 

Many thanks for your reply. First of all excuse the track plan and bit wasn't drawn to  scale. ( just fitted it into an A4 )

I will be using two loco's and DC only so your first diagram is fine.

I had been thinking I would have needed IRJ's at the two left hand points as well.

Again thanks for taking your time to respond to my question.

 

Milano

[F-UnitMad]

David's first diagram does say "DC minimum wiring" - it will work with one loco. With two locos & one controller you will need to put isolated sections in suitable places to hold one loco while the other one moves.

This only needs a gap in one rail, with the switch connected to either side of the gap. 

[sharris]

Depending on how much flexibility you need on where to park one loco while the other is doing some work it strikes me that you could use the DCC feed layout with switches to each feed as cab control.

[Dungrange]

There is really no difference between wiring for DC and wiring for DCC when it comes to connecting feeds for a small layout.  Either control system (DC or DCC) could be used with either of the feed diagrams that David has provided.  The one labelled 'DC minimum wiring' is just that, the absolute minimum amount of wiring that you can get away with, assuming a single DC controller and a single locomotive. You are relying on the fish-plates and the pressure between switchblades and the stock rails to conduct electricity beyond the 'heel' end of each turnout, which is not good practise, although many people have no problems.

 

Each turnout is self isolating, which means that when thrown in one direction, the track in the opposite direction will be 'dead'.  That's not a problem if you only have one locomotive and all you've left in that siding is a couple of wagons.  However, whilst the 'DC minimum wiring' could equally be used with a DCC controller, this tends to defeat some of the reasons for switching to DCC.  If you were operating a DCC Sound locomotive and you drove it into one of the lower sidings and then switched the point, the sound and lights would go out.  To stop that from happening it is necessary to add additional feeds.  Again, you need additional feeds if you want two locomotives shunting independently.

 

That leads to David's second diagram which ensures that all areas have their own track feed.  However, this could also be considered good practise for DC layouts as well as DCC, as you are no longer relying on fish-plates to conduct electricity.  The other advantage of using David's DCC feed specification for a DC layout is that it makes it easier to have multiple locomotives in operation using more than one controller.  If you connect each of the seven pairs of feeds to a separate Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) switch with a centre off position, then you can connect two DC controllers to the layout and each controller could control any of the seven sections.  A DC locomotive can then be isolated in any section by simply putting the DPDT switch for that section into the 'centre off' position.

 

The only additional wiring that you could add would be a couple of Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) switches if you want to isolate a DC locomotive within any of the sections shown on the DCC drawing.  If you would never need two locomotives in the same section, then these on/off switches wouldn't be required.  Personally, I'd wire the layout as per David's DCC drawing even although you are using DC, since it's the most flexible arrangement.

[Milano]

Dungrange, that's really good advice too. Maybe if I go for David's DCC wiring I will be future proofing the layout if I do go digital later.

 

Thanks

Milano

[AndyID]

The "DC Minimum" wiring isn't the minimum. You only need one IRJ at the top point's frog and you don't need that yellow jumper wire.