Hi, I'm a first time caller and using digitrax system of control. I have a number od N.J. Internation twin coil switch machine on my layout and recently I have been working on powering the frogs on my Turnouts. I have had some success in a stub ended yard but now when I,m starting on the main line I,m running into shorting problems. The other interesting thing to me and I have very little electrical knowledge is that in that stub ended yard that I have wired the frogs is that they are not all wired the same. i.e. depending on their order in the sequence the contacts requirement is different. Could somebody please help me with this thanks.

Stewart

Wellington, New Zealand.

-- Stewart John Hainsworth (hains@paradise .co.nz), October 02, 2004

Answers

You probably have power routing switches. Powering the frog with the right polarity is only 1/2 the problem. with power routing switches, the polarity of the diverging tracks leaving the frog are also switched. If it is a stub track, both rails become the same polarity when that rout is NOT selected and to any loco on the stub track it appears that the power is cut off. [Thus the term Power Routing.] But for a passing siding or through track, with a second track switch at the other end, the position of BOTH switches must always be at the same 'throw' or a short circuit will be formed. One solutions is to provide insulating track gaps at the frog rails of both switches. Make the siding (or yard track) a fixed polarity track section. Now the position of each turnout switch can be either way without creating a track short.

-- Don Vollrath (dvollrath@magnetek.com), November 01, 2004.