Ron Solly

Thank you Dave, that makes it a bit easier.

No list as such. You use the search field at top right of this page. Put his name in as the search item. Then to the right of that click in”Forum index”. Doing that gives you a series of choices. Select “Members”. Now click the search icon and you should find the persons profile page.

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

I know the members name so how do I find his topics please?

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.

Depending on your chosen control method (ie. the panel switches), it may be simpler to use the switch to operate two things at the same time - a servo control board and a relay board.  The relay board can switch the frog polarities. 

 

Off the shelf relay boards for running on either 5v or 12v DC are available cheaply from Ebay, Amazon, various electronics suppliers, etc..   Depending on the servo control board in use, you may be able to use the same wire from the switch to operate both items.    Relay boards may be a lot less hassle than mounting microswitches unless your chosen servo mounting method includes attachment for microswitches, and adequate control of the throw of the servo to operate both tie bar and microswitch. 

 

I've used both microswitches and relays, and will continue to use both, picking the one best suited to the situation.

 

- Nigel

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 ?

Yes, if your controller can programme CVs...

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

Is it not just a case of disconnecting any supply to the live frog to make it a dead frog?

 

Never mind the "why".

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

If they don’t switch on 16v ac it is simply that your power supply was/is too weak and this is also suggested by you needing to use CDU to make them work, a large enough power supply will change those motors without issue - too small and you get exactly the issue you describe.

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 .

 Because they are 30ft apart and I am a lazy old git! Seriously, my layout is in a loft with low beams and if I move about too quickly without thinking, I smack my head!

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

While I understand that some like 3 link as they are prototypical depending on location & era,in the model scene, IMO, only really good when one can reach them to uncouple/re-couple like on a plank layout.

Shunting on some of the layouts as planned by iain Rice in his book "Mainlines in Modest Spaces" as some sidings are nearly 3 feet away from the operating area.  Kadees or modified T/L do the job.

For modified T/L, have a look at

and