I'm starting a new layout (about my tenth :tb-wacky, and I'm using Peco Code 55 track & turnouts which I've never used before. Wondering if anyone has any useful tricks or tips?? ( I plan to glue cork & track..........never used that method before either)
There are lots of tips in the www about Peco turnouts, especially about the DCC friendliness of the TOs. But if you read the posts about this topic, you will see that there are a lot of different opinions about the necessity of this conversion. So Google or Bing around about "DCC friendly" and "Peco turnout".
Here are two great links for working with Peco turnouts: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches_peco.htm About PECO N-Scale Turnouts You can lay Peco track and turnouts with no more information than what you find enclosed in your Peco turnout packages. 1. I on the other hand wire all my Peco turnouts (first link), even though I use DC, because I don't want to rely just on a couple of dinky little corroding points on each turnout to conduct electricity around an entire layout. That's where the first link comes in. It's a lot of work, but my turnouts are fail-proof. 2. If you plant on switching your Peco turnouts manually, that's great. But if you intend to use a switch machine (I use Tortoise), remove or clip the tiny spring wire underneath the throwbar. (It snaps the points over to the stock rail and holds them there). 3. Use Peco joiners and Peco replacement ties for filling gaps. Anything else is just too danged hard! 4. You can easily connect Peco 55 to any other Code 55 track by filing off the bottom part of the rails at the end with a rotary tool.
I have connected Peco 55 to Peco and atlas code80 without filing the rails (other than removing burrs) I don't think that is an issue. If using insulfrog code 80, I have found it best to add jumpers from the outside to inside rails. You can trim off one tie and just sodler a thick piece of wire to make the jumper. You may be asking about the flex track. It is different than atlas, which bends back when you let it go. When you work with Peco, you bend it, and it stays. It took me a little while to get used to that. those ribbon rail curve setters between the rails may help you, or you just have to be patient to bend the the track slowly to the desired radius and slightly adjust back to a perfect curve. It can be done, but it is different than Atlas if that is what you used before. Glue should be fine, given how stiff the track is. I actually still spike mine to hold it until the ballast glue cements it in place. There are no pre drilled holes like Atlas, so when I use spikes, I use a dremel with a small bit rather than pushing the spikes in the ties, which can break ties and push track out of alignment.
I use the Peco Code 55 on my Ntrak modules and have all sorts of tricks up my sleeve. First, the flex track is very stout and will retain shape, but there is a better way. If you start the track at a fixed point, like the thrown route of the turnout, you can select a location donw the line and fix it too. Now the track cna easily be moved and relaxed to have the natural bending of the track. This natural bend now is a very smooth transition from the turnout to the straight track. Next , use the replacement ties! For the good look. And, yes stock up on the Ribbon Rail track gauges. Make sure to get a few of the straight ones too! Last, take your time. No one is in a hurry for a wrong answer, just like no one is in a hurry to lay bad track. When all is said and done, you will have relaible and enjoyable running of your locomotives and cars.
I use Peco code 55 flex and electro-frog switches (about 230 or so of all different frog number). The switches are about 2/3rds manually thrown and 1/3rd Tortoise-thrown. On the Tortoise switches, I power route the points/frogs with a jumper from the Tortoise as the pressure from the Tortoise to the points was not enough, in my experience, to reliably power route to the frogs. On the manually thrown switches I rely on the Peco over-center mechanism to lock the points and assure conductivity to the points and frog. The operators just use their finger or an uncoupling skewer to throw the points until the over center toggle has secured them. If there are occasional conductivity issues found on these switches, a quick swipe between the back of the points and the mating rail with a business card or something similar to burnish the surfaces does the trick. Other than that, I have taken no special precautions wiring the switches. I use them stock with no rewiring. The layout has been operational for the most part for about 3 years without any flaws. I am familiar with another modeler who has used Peco switches in this manner, though all manually thrown, with no issue for >20 years. His is a DC layout. My layout is Digitrax DCC and I run about 50 locos, all diesel from short wheel based switchers to long wheel based road engines, of a variety of manufacturers. thx md
I have been mostly using Peco turnouts at home and at the club. My observations are: 1) I don't think using these with DCC is as hard as Wiring for DCC would have you think, at least as far as preventing shorts. 2) The Insulfrogs have such a big non-conducting frog portion that smaller locomotive, like my Class A Climax built on a Kato critter chassis, and my GE 44-tonner tend to get lots on them. For this reason, I stick to Electrofrogs. 3) The points are a major source of power routing failures. I wouldn't rely on the points as your sole method of transferring power on major turnouts. If you do experience power-routing failures, I would recommend first cleaning the sides of the points and the rails where they connect, and then look around at Wiring for DCC and some of the other references mentioned for ways to make these even more power routing. 4) I love the spring that holds the turnout in place. Nicely done. 5) Use PECO joiners. If you use Atlas joiners, you may end up accidentally punching one into the pads of your fingers. OUCH. Good luck! Adam
They can be bought at NScale Supply http://www.nscalesupply.com/rib/RIB.html Walthers also carries them from time to time
Let me offer a word of advice as I found this out the hard way. I had purchased one of their 18" long track guides and found out that it had an even so slight arc and was throwing my track out of alignment over the length of a module. Hopefully mine was just a bad item but I've been reluctant to buy another. Their curve templates/guides, on the other hand, work great. '
I WISH could switch my peco turnouts manually--but I use Peco turnout motors largely so I have contacts for positive powering of the frog. I wish there was a Peco power contacts that clippped onto the turbnout WITHOUT the need for switch motor.
