What do you do when your engines keep stalling while traversing a turnout? Is there anything you can do to stop having to tap your engines just to get them through a turnout?
The following are from a couple of forum threads that I responded to and I think answer the age old question of whether or not you should consider wiring power to your turnout frogs.
I wired power to my Atlas Code 55 turnouts - and now my engines crawl easily through all my turnouts like they were running on straight track!
Hopefully this article will help beginning MRR'ers better understand "why" and "how" to power their turnout frogs.
I asked the question about whether or not - wire power to insulated turnout frogs on my Atlas Code 55 turnouts and I got a lot of good comments and leads on the topic from our friends here at Nscale.net. I was also told that this question has been a long standing debate for years and years.
Well I wanted our extended family (nScale.net) to know that I decided to power my frogs and I think it was the right decision!
I was getting so tired of having to get up and tap my locos that had stalled in some of my turnouts. Being new to MRR'ing, I didn't know if the problem was in my track laying skills, my turnouts, or my locos, or my wheel/track cleanliness.
I made a big decsison and began wiring up my insulated frogs to my Totoise Slow Motion Machines. This was a major undertaking involving over 50 ft of wire and a whole lot more soldering skills enhancement than I cared for. But finally got it all done (after 4 long weeks!).
NOW - ALL MY LOCOS RUN SMOOTHLY AND EFFORTLESSLY THROUGH EVERY SINGLE TURNOUT! It's like magic! Crawl forward. Crawl backward. Even stop-n-go on them!
So my message here is new MRRers think seriously about wiring up your frogs. It has made my layout carefree.
Oh, and I do once in a while run the loco through the turnout the wrong way. My loco just stops in it's track and I have to push it back, throw the turnout into the right position and keep on rolling. I have MRC's Prodigy Advance DCC and so far I haven't caused any problems with it.
My vote in this long debate is go ahead and wire up the frogs - at least for DCC systems.
So, How Do You Actually Wire Power To The Frogs of Atlas Code 55 Turnouts?
In the Atlas C55 turnouts, the "closure rails" (labeled 3 & 4) are already connected under the switch to the main track lines (labeled 1 & 2). You don't have to solder any connections to the closure rails (labeled 3 & 4). The "frog rails" (labeled 5 and 6) also do not require any direct connections.
If you already have power from your bus to the main track lines, say every 3 or 4 feet or so, then you really don't have to wire power to points 1 & 2 either. But this all depends on how your power spacing (every 3 to 4 feet) is looking.
The "frog" is the horizontal "x" shaped piece between points 3 & 5. The Atlas Code 55 turnout frog is isulated from all other rails, meaning there is NO power to this portion of the switch. When I first powered up my track and began running locomotives on it, my locomotives would stall on the turnouts right where the frog is located. That's because without power going to it, the locomotive loses power and hesitates. If your engine is moving slow enough, it will cause it to stall. This can also depend on your engine's axle spacing and other factors. But why bother having DCC if you can't crawl through your switches.
The soldering tab sticking out on the side of the turnout (labeled "A") is the electrical connecting point for wiring power to the insulated frog. To "power" the frog, you'll need to connect a wire from point A to the 4th position on your Tortoise Machine, counting from left to right. Then you have to connect wires from your power bus to positions 2 and and position 3 on the Tortoise Machine. Positions 2, 3, & 4 on the Tortoise Machine are the landings for one of the machine's SPDT (single pull double throw) auxillary switches. So when you throw your Tortoise Machine switch you will be throwing power to the frog. But before you run your locomotive, make sure to check the resistance to make sure that the frog is wired with the correct turnout position. If the turnout is in "off" position, meaning the train goes straight through, then touch the ohm meter and check continuity between say your points 3 and the frog. If there is zero resistance, this is good. It means you got lucky when you wired up the power to the Tortoise Machine landing positions 2 & 3. If the resistance is infinite, meaning there is no continuity, then you'll have to go back to the Tortoise Machine landings and reverse the position 2 & 3 wires.
The only bad thing about wiring power to the turnout frogs is that you've got to make sure and have your turnouts in the proper position when you run your locomotive through it. Because if the turnouts in the wrong position, the engine wheels will short out at the points. With my Atlas Prodigy Advance DCC, it don't seem to have any adverse consequences. Meaning nothing smokes or burns out a fuse. All that happens with my DCC when I accidentally run an engine the wrong way through a turnout is the engine immediately stops.
You can verify everything I've said thus far by taking a volt-ohm meter, switching it to ohms resistance, and checking for continuity between the various rail pieces. What you will find is that points 1,3, & 5 are all connected - have zero resistance. And that points 2, 4, & 6 are all connected -have zero resistance.
Another really great website I found very useful in explaining "how to wire your turnouts and frogs" is www.wiringfordcc.com. You'll need to click on the "Switches" button.
The decision to wire up the frogs is completely up to you. But like I said, if you want your locomotive to crawl effortlessly through your turnouts, Powering the Frogs is the only way to go!
Very good read. Something