Wiring Peco turnouts (DC)


Raincoat2

Raincoat2

Well-Known Member
Everyone,
did a quick search but didn't see this specific topic - still, apologies if it's already been discussed (probably has - - what hasn't?). Anyway, I'm a newbie, in HO scale, 100 code, and DC environment, running just one train at a time for now, and we're comparing turnouts and motors for our layout. The question here is wiring. I'm comparing Atlas vs Peco turnouts - I've done one Atlas turnout and I want to get a Peco and motor and try wiring that. A Google search brought up some conversations on other forums, including wiring diagrams, and they scare me silly. I'm not kidding. I'm not scared of wiring - learned a lot about electrical stuff from my dad many years ago - but the terminology, options, wiring components, etc. that seem to be required for Peco turnouts to operate are daunting. I'll have about a dozen turnouts in this 20 X 14 layout. Any advice, suggestions, books (?) about wiring Peco turnouts would be appreciated.
Raincoat2
 
How you wire Peco turnouts for DC depends on whether you have Electrofrog or Insulfrog Peco's. Regardless, you must always wire the track leads to the point end of the turnout. If you have just a single loop of track, you need to place an insulated rail joiner on the frog rail end of the turnout to prevent a short. The frog (where the rails cross) of an Insulfrog turnout is, as the name implies, insulated and is essentially electrically dead. Some short wheelbase locomotives may stall when they hit the frog. In that case, you can wire the frog to some sort of selector switch, a Single Pole Double Throw toggle, or contacts on the switch machine, etc. IIRC, the Insulfrog turnouts have wire leads installed from the factory on the frog. As I use primarily the Electrofrogs, I don't have to worry about it, as the frog automatically switches polarity by the contact of the points with the stock rail against which they are pressing. Atlas turnouts are essentially insulated frogs, although the newer ones have metal frogs that can be connected to a polarity changing toggle or other means of changing the polarity. Hope this helps.
 
Trailrider,
Thanks for the summary. A couple of follow-up questions: 1) for our purposes (DC environment), would you say Insulfrogs would be better than Electrofrogs?, 2) I believe Peco motors are mounted under the turnout, and occupy a rectangular hole I would drill in the plywood subroadbed - so do I then wire the motor directly to a switch on my control panel, and if so would that be a SPDT switch? (I don't think I'll have any problems with short wheelbase locos)
Thanks.
Raincoat2
 
Raincoat2 said:
The question here is wiring. I'm comparing Atlas vs Peco turnouts - I've done one Atlas turnout and I want to get a Peco and motor and try wiring that. A Google search brought up some conversations on other forums, including wiring diagrams, and they scare me silly. I'm not kidding. I'm not scared of wiring - learned a lot about electrical stuff from my dad many years ago - but the terminology, options, wiring components, etc. that seem to be required for Peco turnouts to operate are daunting.
Click to expand...
No, much of the wiring that gets posted for turnouts is not "required" it is what people have done to make things bullet proof for them. This goes back to one of my main philosophies, "Don't invent problems that don't exist." Which leads directly to "Don't make things more complicated than they need to be".

Peco makes two kinds of turnouts. One is called insulfrog. These would be pretty much identical to the Atlas for normal wiring - basically nothing extra. The electrofrog turnouts require at least 1 insulated joiner or gap in the rails if they are used in a loop. If they are used at the end of stub ended spurs they also require no extra wiring. If one runs extra power to the spur tracks then more insulated joiners or gaps are required.

Wiring the motors for the turnouts is going to be dependent on the motor not the brand of turnout. Twin coil machines or stall motors are the two most common options. Either brand of turnout can use either type. The wiring for each type is the same regardless of brand.
 
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Raincoat2 said:
A couple of follow-up questions: 1) for our purposes (DC environment), would you say Insulfrogs would be better than Electrofrogs?
Click to expand...
There is no "better". Electrofrogs have better electrical contact for locomotives with short wheel bases through the frog (less chance of stalling). Insulfrogs can have a short circuit problem with locos and cars with longer truck sizes or wide wheels, but this is mostly with DCC. With Insulfrogs one doesn't have to worry about insulated joiners and gaps and dead spurs. I would say choose one or the other and go with it. When mixing the types it is too easy to get them confused if problems start occurring.

2) I believe Peco motors are mounted under the turnout, and occupy a rectangular hole I would drill in the plywood subroadbed - so do I then wire the motor directly to a switch on my control panel, and if so would that be a SPDT switch?
Click to expand...
The Peco switch motors are twin coil. Two wires from the SPDT MOMENTARY CONTACT type switch or two momentary contact push buttons. Don't forget the momentary contact part, otherwise the switch motor will melt down pretty quickly.
 
Hey Iron - thanks for your input. This helps me understand better. BTW, I agree 100% with your philosophies. I think the Peco Insulfrog turnout is the one I'll testdrive. Since Peco switch motors are twin coil, I'll have to get SPDT momentary contact switches. Is there a particular brand you use, or a store (Radio Shack, e.g.) you recommend buying from?

In various posts, many have recommended Peco over Atlas, but the reason I'm testing both is cost - what our budget can handle for this first layout in our career. If I had unlimited funds, I'd go with Peco.

Raincoat2
 
How you wire the switch motor depends on the type. If the motor is a twin-coil solenoid type, you need to use a momentary toggle switch, with a center-off position, or a single-pole, double-throw with a momentary pushbutton wired on the center wire so that the coil only gets a momentary pulse of current. If you use this method, you could use a double-pole, double-throw with the pushbutton in series with the center wire on one pole going to the switch machine. The other pole can be used to control the polarity of the frog, which will be continuous. I'm not that familiar with Peco's switch machines, as, even though I use the Peco turnouts, I use either manual throw, if close enough to reach, or a different switch machine, of which I have a bunch left over from previous layouts. Peco should show the instructions with their equipment. Take a little time to study them. Best of luck.
 
At one of my local clubs, they use Peco insulfrogs (just about universal in Australia), and on their portable display layout they used a system of 2 dome head screws per turnout as contacts on the control board, with a single "Pen" pointer with a wire attached. To operate the switch motors (Twin solenoid, horrible great surface mounted lumps hidden from view, the turnouts being behind the view block on the staging tracks) Wires were connected from the dome head screws to power the solenoids. To change the points direction, all that was needed was to touch that pen to the appropriate screw head. 1 pen could control all the switch motors near it.

Australian's are raised on birdseed, so it was a cheep way of doing it.
 
Iron, Tootn, Trailrider - thanks, everyone. This is all helpful. At least I think I can see the picture better. Yeah, I know Peco's components will come with instructions, I'm just trying to prepare myself for it and get suggestions from others who have the experience I don't have yet. I'll keep you all posted on our progress.
Raincoat2
 
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