Peco Double Slip Advice

[Cardiff Bluebird]

Hello,

 

Ive designed a trackplan for my new layout, but in order to save space I would like to use a double slip point instead of three normal points. Im using DCC the whole look of the Double Slip even using normal power method looks very scary let alone with DCC!.

 

Im also very new to model railway wiring so would someone who has a double slip be kind enough to give some advice on the wiring of them please? Are they best avoid?

Should I use a electrofrog unit or a isloated frog ?

 

Ive search the forum and cant find a topic about the slip only the crossing.

 

Kind Regards

 

Bluebird.

[amdaley]

I run in DCC & I have an insulated double slip.I have no problem with it.

[Flood]

We've got a Peco double slip on our layout and we use DCC. For starters Peco only make insulfrog ones so that makes life easier. Another useful tip is that a double slip is really just two points toe to toe in a smaller space, therefore you always have a feed to the centre of the double slip. We've not modified the point in anyway (as far as I can remember) but there are two factors worth mentioning:

 

1) We've got changeover switches on the point motors to change the polarity of the rails either side of the frog to ensure the supply is not just via the point blades

 

2) Glenn spent an age inserting fillets of plasticard under the applicable sleepers until an 08 ran over the double slip at dead slow speed with no stopping.

 

There are areas where one (or possibly two) of the wheelsets of an 08 are not being supplied either due to the dead frog or dips between the point blades in the centre. The changeover switches, very level pointwork and an 08 fitting with a Lenz Power One module (a device to keep it running when there is a split second loss of supply) all ensure that so long as the track and the loco wheels are clean we never have any problems.

[Free At Last]

For starters Peco only make insulfrog ones so that makes life easier.

 

And for afters they make Electrofrog ones too

[Xerces Fobe2]

I have 2 insulfog code 75 double slips on my layout and don't have any real problems with them with DCC

 

Photo courtesy of Daniel Floyd

 

Xerces Fobe

[Flood]

And for afters they make Electrofrog ones too

Ah, only in code 75. No wonder we couldn't get one in code 100.

 

I really must check all the facts first.

[Will Vale]

I have a Peco code 75 electrofrog slip on Whitemarsh, with the frogs switched by Tortoise point motors. Running is fine with 08s and bogie locos, but if you're going for electric point control you might want to look at some kind of interlocking: I find setting the route through a slip using two switches really hard to get my head around (not sure why - possibly I'm just stupid!) and when you get it wrong it causes a short when the loco enters the slip. Much like entering a live frog turnout from the wrong direction, but easier to do.

 

My solution to this was to do all the point setting via routes on my handset, so I can only set up valid routes for moves. It's quicker too, and it makes it easier for other people to operate the layout.

 

[edit] I should add that as far as I know, wiring is a mite easier with Insulfrog, and running is a mite better with Electrofrog if you have short wheelbase locos.

 

[edit] This is a good site for answering this kind of question: Wiring for DCC

 

 

 

Will

[Kenton]

First let's stop this myth about wiring "for DCC" wire the track correctly then it will work.

 

Wiring a double slip is no different for DC than DCC. A double slip is essentially 2 points back to back and should be wired following the basic rules for wiring any point.

Insulate the frogs from the rest of the track world and power them from the point switching DPST

Run a dropper from each stock rail (you will note that being back to back points they share the same stock rail.)

 

I can't think of any good reason to use insulfrog points so I certainly can't think of a good reason to use "effectively" 2 of them.

[Oldddudders]

[edit] I should add that as far as I know, wiring is a mite easier with Insulfrog, and running is a mite better with Electrofrog if you have short wheelbase locos.

 

[edit] This is a good site for answering this kind of question: Wiring for DCC

Yes, your link to Alan Gartner's site is recommended, but this chap

 

http://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/DCC.htm#Insulated

 

is an RMWebber and provides lots of good advice too.

 

I have recently wired a lot of Code 75 live frog points including a single slip as recommended there, and find the slow running is very impressive, despite a very unfriendly environment in the barn (no heating) and several months having elapsed since laying the track.

[beast66606]

We use one or two - they are not difficult, as mentioned above.

 

A tip for those who have difficulty understanding double slips on control panels, draw them as two points, for example

 

 

Make sure you get the right switch at the right end and it should be easier to work with.

[Grovenor]

I would like to use a double slip point instead of three normal points

Note, as others have hinted a double slip will not replace 3 nornal points, only 2.

Regards

Keith

[Robert Davies]

We use one or two - they are not difficult, as mentioned above.

Fibber! I can see seven there!

 

A tip for those who have difficulty understanding double slips on control panels, draw them as two points, for example

 

 

Make sure you get the right switch at the right end and it should be easier to work with.

 

Done and done It really does make a double slip easier to set/understand drawn as two points back to back, especially for guest operators.

 

-Rob

[beast66606]

Fibber! I can see seven there!

 

 

Try this end then

[Cardiff Bluebird]

Thanks gents, doesnt sound to bad after all that. Time to do it myself now!!!

 

 

Bluebird.

[Will Vale]

First let's stop this myth about wiring "for DCC" wire the track correctly then it will work.

True enough, but "wiring for dcc" is a good search term for finding the tip on wiring the stock rails and blades together - you get the same potential short with analogue and DCC, but it's much more of a problem with DCC since it will cause the booster to shut down, as opposed to the loco stuttering minutely.

 

A tip for those who have difficulty understanding double slips on control panels, draw them as two points

Simple but effective - thanks for the tip!

 

Will

[Stevelewis]

I have used Peco Single & Double slips with DCC for SEVERAL years, with many different Digital systems and never had any problems, nor had to implement any 'Special' wiring to make them work!!

[Alan Kettlewell]

I have used Peco Single & Double slips with DCC for SEVERAL years, with many different Digital systems and never had any problems, nor had to implement any 'Special' wiring to make them work!!

 

 

Ditto ...

[Pufferman]

I have a double and single slip on my layout and I have been told that I dont need to wire it up for the polarity to be changed with the point motors will this be ok?

[Gwiwer]

Peco's own instructions included with all their points (and a double-slip counts as two points as discussed) are not so hard to follow. For a beginner it can be daunting and there are some myths out there which should be dispelled but there is no real difficulty in grasping how to wire up. Perhaps the harder part is doing so tidily with the required feeds not taking on the look of an SR 750V power feed cable!

[250BOB]

Use a frog juicer and take away the heartache.!!!

[melmerby]

Use a frog juicer and take away the heartache.!!!

Un-needed expense.

Sold on the premise that wiring frogs is difficult, IMHO it isn't.

 

Keith

Edited September 27, 2012 by melmerby

[Kenton]

Un-needed expense.

Sold on the premise that wiring frogs is difficult, IMHO it isn't.

 

Keith

 

Completely agree - but throwing money at things for an out of the box solution seems to be the way of things these days.

 

Of course it shouldn't be beyond man's ingenuity to design it in from the start, it just remains as part of the many challenges of railway modelling.

[beast66606]

Un-needed expense.

Sold on the premise that wiring frogs is difficult, IMHO it isn't.

 

Keith

 

It's sold not because wiring switches is difficult but to remove the need for the switch.

 

I notice they also do a mono and duo frog juicer.

[mcowgill]

The frog juicer is an excellent product when used to solve difficult problems.

 

My fiddle yard is partly on the window sill and as I didn't set the rest of the layout high enough there wasn't enough room for point motors underneath some of the baseboard. The frog juicer has avoided me having to find a switching solution to go with the surface mounted point motors particularly as they are DCC controlled so there's no control panel with spare poles on switches.

 

Martin

Edited September 27, 2012 by mcowgill

[Kenton]

It's sold not because wiring switches is difficult but to remove the need for the switch.

 

I notice they also do a mono and duo frog juicer.

 

Still a waste of money as far as I can see. But don't let the fact that most folk seem to manage to wire up their layouts without them deter anyone from spending money on gadgets and gizmos. Afterall manual operation could be the answer for some.