Building The T&SF
Turnouts

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April 2002


I solder jumpers on my Peco insul-frog turnouts as recommended by several leading DCC authoritative websites, this way the power isn't only conducted through the "hinge" between the closure rails and the point rails. For a great website concerning DCC wiring, especially turnouts, visit Allan Gartner's Wiring for DCC. Here's a photo of these jumpers.

While we're talking turnouts, I've noticed that the insulated frogs on Peco turnouts may sometimes be higher or lower than the adjacent railhead. Additionally, the flangeway at the stock rails is a little wide. These can combine to produce either shorts or stalls as metal wheels pass over the frogs. I've found that carefully filing or sanding down the frog helps with stalls immensely and a fine shim glued inside the guardrail keeps metal wheels from shorting across the frog rails. I've only done this where there have been problems so far, I may modify all new turnouts before installing them in the future, or I may determine not to after careful inspection - depends on how much of a glutton for punishment I am! Here's another photo of a turnout with the shim in the flangeway (yes, they will eventually be painted).

Trackwork

Reversing sections using DCC

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