the MRH Forum

Wiring a Layout for DCC and DC Track and electrical/DCC
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Regular poster 182 posts JerryRGS Regular poster 182 posts
JerryRGS

I need to wire my layout for both DCC and DC. Plus a programming track. I had a friend help me with the wiring.

The DC and DCC need to be completely separate so there is no possibility of having both of them one.

Plus I needed a programming track. The diagram shows how we are doing the wiring. The Tortoise switch machine raises a wire up between the programming track and the rest of the railroad to insure nothing crosses the gap while programing. The two DPDT switches for the programming track and the Tortoise switch machine are located right next to each other so I remember to throw them at the same time. The DPDT switches are center off.g_MRH(1).jpg 

Jerry
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Prof_Klyzlr Moderator 7,942 posts
Prof_Klyzlr

Track End

Dear Jerry, Looks good from the supply end, but what of the track end? How did you handle things downstream such as powered frogs, reversing loops, eyes. And turntables such that they were both Analog and DCC compatible? Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr
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JerryRGS Regular poster 182 posts
JerryRGS

Track End

Mostly I want the DC on the loop of track for testing locomotives before I add a DCC decoder in the locomotive.

Anything downstream will only be run with DCC.

 

Jerry
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MLee Regular poster 163 posts
MLee

That is what I did

for my test track in N Scale.  Been working for quite a few years now.  You may want to consider using banana plugs on the RRampmeter so you can take it out and use it somewhere else for time to time.  Also you may want to consider an axillary plug for both the DCC and DC to help with trouble shooting.  It is handy to have metered power at the end of a couple of leads.  And you may want to consider the appropriate circuit breaker device on the outputs.

Mike Lee  
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mran8 Regular poster 136 posts
mran8

I would never do this

Its to easy to forget and leave a DC locomotive on the track and come back later, switch to DCC and poof, no

DC locomotive!  Make DC and DCC tracks entirely separate.  
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bobbyclel45 New member 16 posts
bobbyclel45

Dc or DCC use one or the other

My locos are all programmed for DCC. That way you are sure not to loose your DCC programming. I have seen to many of my friends who have DC and DCC programmed into their locos only to loose the DCC programming through  a DC short  when running with DC. If I have a decoder in my loco then its programmed for DCC and nothing else.

 

Bob

Bobbyclel45
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