Modifying old Peco electrofrog points

[Midnight-Freight]

I've just discovered a couple of sets of points I have are the older style Peco items without the links to cut to isolate the frog and no frog wire. I have attached a couple of pics for reference. To alter these to use with frog polarity switches and not rely on the switch blade for conductivity would it just be a case of cutting the closure rails roughly where I've drawn the red line and then soldering on a frog wire to the underside and then soldering a link across from the stock rails as usual? I'm guessing the wire that can be seen on the underside of the point at the frog just connects the various parts electrically and needs to be left as it is?

[rodshaw]

That's what I did (with HOm points), except that I cut the closure rails a bit nearer to the frog. I left the wires underneath alone.

[Butler Henderson]

I did it with a small Y - not a lot of material to hold the cut rails in place so some glue was called for.

[DCB]

Why bother?  Mine have frog switches, micro switches operated by the point tie bar and blade switching as well and work fine.  You need some seriously narrow back to backs on metal wheels before you run into problems.

[Butler Henderson]

Why bother?  Mine have frog switches, micro switches operated by the point tie bar and blade switching as well and work fine.  You need some seriously narrow back to backs on metal wheels before you run into problems.

Having had a Hornby T9 short out a dcc system on a dead frog point there is enough waddle in them to quite easily clip the adjacent switch  rail.

[DCB]

Having had a Hornby T9 short out a dcc system on a dead frog point there is enough waddle in them to quite easily clip the adjacent switch  rail.

We have one of those monstrosities as well and it had serious problems staying on the track mainly due to being seriously tight to gauge.

[Midnight-Freight]

Why bother?  Mine have frog switches, micro switches operated by the point tie bar and blade switching as well and work fine.  You need some seriously narrow back to backs on metal wheels before you run into problems.

Maybe I am misunderstanding the scenario with these older points. I don't want to rely on the switch blades for feeding power to the rest of the point. I understand the concept with the newer type and have cut the wire links, soldered a link across from both stock rails to the corresponding closure rail and intend to use Gaugemaster DCC80 autofrogs to switch polarity as they will be manually operated. I just want to achieve the same thing with these 2 sets of points. 

[Pete the Elaner]

Maybe I am misunderstanding the scenario with these older points. I don't want to rely on the switch blades for feeding power to the rest of the point. I understand the concept with the newer type and have cut the wire links, soldered a link across from both stock rails to the corresponding closure rail and intend to use Gaugemaster DCC80 autofrogs to switch polarity as they will be manually operated. I just want to achieve the same thing with these 2 sets of points. 

I have been let down by poor point blade continuity in the past. They get to a point (apologies for the pun) where you can't clean them properly, so you could replace the point (which can be hard work) or look for another solution which would be better designed early on, which is exactly what you are suggesting.

 

I would also want to modify them exactly as you are suggesting & now is the right time to be considering it.

[kevinlms]

Maybe I am misunderstanding the scenario with these older points. I don't want to rely on the switch blades for feeding power to the rest of the point. I understand the concept with the newer type and have cut the wire links, soldered a link across from both stock rails to the corresponding closure rail and intend to use Gaugemaster DCC80 autofrogs to switch polarity as they will be manually operated. I just want to achieve the same thing with these 2 sets of points. 

Exactly so, just do them in a similar manner to the new ones.