Track and electrical/DCC

Walther's 90 foot turntable

Thu, 2015-09-17 12:05 — ray schofield

I have just finished building a Walther's 90 foot turntable kit that I have had for years. See photo. It looks great and rotates reasonably well, but the power to the rails  is iffy. I have taken it apart several times to clean the contacts and tighten the arms that rub against the shaft to transfer power. I also bent the contacting metal into a V to avoid interference with the separating washer, but it still gets intermittent power.

NCE 0230 mini panel

Wed, 2015-09-16 10:32 — domer94

i saw this while doing research on what system to go with. does anybody use it and exactly how does it work and what for (most commonly)

thanks

MRC prodigy elite

Fri, 2015-09-11 18:52 — domer94

im looking at this system on ebay and have a couple of questions. with this system and its 10a power capability, would i need additional boosters? or can i just run my 3 or 4 power districts / circuit breakers off this one unit.

Bi-directional semaphore signalling

Tue, 2015-09-08 20:13 — sarail

Hi All,

My next project i'm planning at the moment, is the installation of a fully operational semaphore signaling system on my layout.

Now my layout, being based on a prototype location is a bi-directional single track mainline at each end, with a four track station yard.

peco insulfrog turnouts

Mon, 2015-09-07 07:38 — domer94

i have decided to go with peco track / turnouts.  can somebody give me a diffinitive answer on the "insulfrog" design.  my question is , with these units, is ANY additional wiring required for crossovers / reverse loops etc etc? im getting the idea that using these "dcc friendly" units is more plug and play. i know this subjuct has probably been addressed many times, i havent found the search function on this forum yet!

remote manual turnout throws

Sun, 2015-09-06 18:13 — domer94

hi , im looking for examples of fascia mounted remote manual turnout throw systems. i mean the type where guys use a direct linkage of sorts with a knob that is pulled or pushed. i will have many turnouts in my plan , and most of them other than some mainline units which i plan on using tortoise, can be manually pulled. as much as i like the usual ground throws, if i can achieve the same function without reaching over the layout , that would be great.

thanks

Planning is driving me nuts

Sun, 2015-09-06 13:26 — gzygadlo

I have a 9x11 area in my basement to make my model railroad,  It will be around the wall with a 2" foam base and a duck under at the door.  I have been trying out different track ideas and just can't seem to come up with one that will satisfy me to have both freight and passenger operations.  Because the ceiling area isn't very high, older house I really don't have room for a helix or to have a second level.

RSeiler's picture

Digitrax PM42 wiring

Fri, 2015-09-04 17:49 — RSeiler

Just got my PM42 so I can create some power districts. I also bought a PS 14 power supply. Are they serious? They send a power supply with a nice plug end, and I have to cut it off and solder the wires to the PM42? This is nuts. I see no other way. I guess the only way to hook this up to the booster is by soldering the wires to these tiny tabs on here.  They say they are labeled, but they aren't.  Is there a better way to do power districts from a DB150?

HO Atlas MP15dc Direction Issue

Fri, 2015-09-04 16:50 — musgrovejb

Just purchased a new HO scale Atlas MP15DC with a QSI Quantum sound decoder from an online hobby shop 

This is an older model, released in 2005/2006 so has been sitting on the shelf for some time.

The problem I am having is the locomotive will only move in one direction, Cab forward.  When selecting to run the locomotive in the opposite direction, the head light direction will change and the engine sound will change to match the throttle setting but the locomotive will not move even at maximum throttle.

RSeiler's picture

Wiring a wye...

Mon, 2015-08-31 11:35 — RSeiler

In my staging area I have three separate yards, the connecting track of which is in a wye configuration. I already have an auto-reverser on the reverse loop on the balloon track around the lower yard as shown in this sketch. Do I need a reverser in the Wye?  If so, where should I gap the tracks and how should I wire it?  I am using Peco insulfrogs with dead frogs, manually thrown. All the switches are actually normal right and lefts, none are actual wyes, fwiw.  Any tips are appreciated. Thanks! 


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