Ron Solly

Thank you Dave, that makes it a bit easier.

That is OK if I guess his ID which I did & yes then that works but without an ID, one cannot find his/her posts. A pit there is no list

OK so I am back to this and I think I never got it right back then. I know this person has created a thread & guess his ID so where is the list of members that I can search please?

I do agree that if the turnouts have been modified for DCC or hand built, then shorts between timing of blades & relay contact will not occur but many I know use the turnout as it comes out of the box - no modifications done at all. I have no problems with frog switching - I use either Hex Frog Juicers or have dead frogs ( similar to Unifrog but not wired at all) , It is the contacts required for panel indication of turnout direction when using side mounted motors & no room for microswitches. At times I have found that some solenoid does not move even with a good CDU kick.

Nigel, using relays in parallel with the servo ( or even other means of operating the tiebar) assumes that both will work at the same time. I have known solenoids not to move but separate methods of frog switching/ direction indication does , so either a short on the frog or incorrect indication. To me, the only real way to get correct indication / frog switching is based on tiebar movement meaning some form of switching from thet iebar = micro switches

One of many CDU circuits http://www.talkingelectronics.com/projects/CDU-2/CDU-2.html#CDU-MkIIB

And if you didn't want to use servos, then these top mounted units may do the trick Cobalt SS https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/the-cobalt-collection/cobalt-point-motors/cobalt-ss/

Thanks for all the info which may act as guidance on my layout ( which while it was developed from GWR concepts, it is now more a private rail network and so Rule #1 applies - if you are interested to see it http://www.nmra.org.au/Layout_Tours/Ron%20Solly/index.html and for operation http://www.nmra.org.au/Operations/Systems%20Of%20Operation.html cursor down to Devan & Summersett)

Jim, further to this as one of my mates here just asked, what if there was almost nothing to go out - would the empty wagons stay at the station until needed elsewhere on the rail network?

Thanks Gents

In the good old days when life was simpler and you dropped off a wagon at the goods shed at town X and the wagon had goods for the various local businesses, would that would come back to the main station empty ? If there was a industry in the town eg a widget factory, could it been moved from goods shed to the Widget factory to be used to transport goods back to the main station? In this case, could/would a local tractor move wagons from Shed to Industry ?

Changing loco numbers is programming CV's so to me unless one has a Controller that is a cheap version and not to NMRA standards, yes then reverse the motor wires.

And Peco are slowly removing those contacts from the blades on Code 100 turnouts. And none at all were ever part on Code 75 turnouts to my knowledge.

also this site http://brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical.html and https://www.bookdepository.com/Aspects-Modelling-Ian-Morton/9780711033436

Not unless there are insulating joiners on the frog and the frog is not connected to the blades otherwise the frog is powered by virtue of connection to other rails or blades to stock rails.

Can I suggest the OP reads this page down to & including electrofrog http://brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical.html#Insulated

Common return works with mains power single wire earth return in Australian country : Microwave radio transmission used earth as the return & telephone exchanges used a common which was also earthed for the 3 voltages of24 , 50 & 130 DC. In my DC days, I had 6 controllers and was wired for common control/return combined with 40v DC, 12v DC, 19VDC, 15AC for other various uses BUT they all had individual transformers My DCC layout has a common rail return used for not only the DCC power but also the ancillary supplies I used on my DC days.

Common return http://www.rail.felgall.com/crw.htm

One of many re cab control http://www.rail.felgall.com/cc.htm http://www.angelfire.com/clone/rail/control.html http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/6100-dc-cab-control-the-basics/

some more reading matter re CDU, etc http://www.talkingelectronics.com/projects/CDU%20-%20overview/CDU%20-%20Overview.html this is found by clicking on CDU-2 http://www.talkingelectronics.com/projects/CDU-2/CDU-2.html

Yes using AC only, the power supply has to be a minimum of 2 amps - preferably 3 amps. That is why a CDU is perfect, the AC can be around 1Amp & let the capacitors do the work .

Ah so it is not a shunting layout then with terminal stations that requires the operator to be present at the station but the whole lot operated from one location ? A track plan on metal with magnets with the loco number, is probably the cheapest way then.

You could spend some time reading this site http://brian-lambert.co.uk/DCC.html and this for basic DC help http://brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical.html now regarding your photo, that is so basic it plugs into rails under Setrack bit you could cut the plug off and join the two wires to you DCC bus More help can be read here http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn2/DCC.htm and/or http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn/dcc_articles.htm

http://www.bnsfrr.net/ only requires 18- 20 operators