How do you do your program track?

I used to just lay an old piece of track loose on the layout when I wanted to program a locomotive. But it got old, and just wasn't very proffesional looking to have a loose piece of track just hanging around on two wires from my DCC box. Since I been revamping the electrical portion of my layout, I wanted to do something better with that, but being my layout is small, space is of a premium, and just didn't want to dedicate a space for a program track. So, I chose a spur to make into a program track section. But, I also use this spur as spare parking, and sometimes need regular power to it. So, I decided to make it both standard power, AND a program track section. Simple thing to do, and was wondering if most of you do the same, or something else. I have a few extra DPDT center off switches to use at my descresion. So, I thought I would use one to power this dedicated section of track. Simple operation, if the switch is thrown to "Program Off" it is just a standard powered track section along with everything else. If the switch is flipped to "Program On", this section is isolated from the rest of the layout, and controlled by the Program output lines from the DCC box. Simple to do, but thought I would share anyway.

Simple end of a spur long enough for any of N scale locos I am aware of.


Switch in the upper right of the panel choosen to operate this section of track.


Simple diagram of this section of track. Center contacts on switch to track are the common contacts of the DP3T switch. One side comes from normal track power, and the other side comes from the "program" contacts of the DCC box.
The color code is not my color code. I just made them all different colors for ease of seeing the individual connections.

 

My program track is just a sideing that is isolated from the rest of the layout. Works great because it is part of the layout with an industry and so forth.

Dave

 

GREAT idea. I have a hunk of track on a piece of wood, but you are right, we can do better. I'm going to use this idea in my next engine facility.

 

I have a short piece of track installed on the shelf/Control Panel at the end of my layout that I use for a dedicated Program Track.



I had an issue once with an Atlas GP38 with a factory installed decoder where one of the contacts touched the frame and the locomotive programmed properly and then when I placed it on the main it shot off at full speed and then shot flames and the magic puff of smoke from the decoder.

After that incident I also made a reduced voltage test track as recommended by MRC and NCE in their decoder documentation. I test every locomotive there that I have installed a decoder in or that I have disassembled for any reason before I place it on the main. I do this even if I had a good continuity/no continuity check.

I made the Test Track by running a drop from my main out on my system and wiring a 33 ohm 1/2 watt resitor in series on one of the power feeds to the Test Track.

If you have an install that looks good and is not, it will smoke the Test Track resistor before it it blows the decoder. Wanna know how I know?

Leave the locmotive on the Test Track for a couple of minutes and run it back and forth, test your lights, etc. If the resistor doesn't start smoking the install is probably good.

You can get a five pack of those resistors at Radio Shack for $0.99.

The two DPST switches are wired in so that I can kill power to the Program Track and the Test Track when I am not using them. I just don't want them to be hot and someone lay something on them by accident and cause a problem or something.

 

My programming track is an abandoned siding near the Turntable. It is completely isolated from the rest of the layout as it should be. That way there will be no mistakes made in terms of "being completely isolated".

 

I failed to mention. Notice on the top picture, that section of track I have insolating track joiners, so they are not connected to any of the other track. they get their power solely from that single switch, so it has either track feed power, or program feed, no in-between.

 

Currently, my program track is just a separate piece of track off of the layout, but I do plan to incorporate it into the layout at some point. When I do, I will use a 4PDT switch wired according to this page. This will give me a buffer section of track between the program track and layout that is dead when set to "program", but powered when set to "run." The reason for this is without the dead section if you accidentally run an engine onto the program track while it is set to program, it can short the programming outputs to the track outputs of your command station, which can damage it.

 

Tudor,

I have my programing track set up the same way, a stub ended siding with the last 12 inches or so insulated from the rest and a dpdt switch changes the section between programing and running.

Gary

 

One small siding on my layout will become the 'metropolis' of Myrtle. This is also my programming track, and like others I've got a simple DPDT switch to ensure I can turn off the power to the rest of the track.

Maybe I'll live to regret not having it completely standalone but I tried that and it just didn't work for me.

 

I think I might find me a 4 pole switch and do it the way like above with the dead section, just for safety. I think I like that better. I would be more concerned with the "ops" factor on a larger layout. But my layout is small, and not allot can go on at one time on it. If I had a half dozen locos running around, as I program another etc, I might be more concerned. OR is I had actually blew one up, lol... My layout is small enough that it isn't too bad to keep things separate, especially on that spur I am using.

 

Like others, I use an insulated siding with a DPDT switch to go from track power to programming track. I've got to say, though, that I do 99.9% of my programming these days using ops mode (programming on the main).

John C.

 

I did the very similar thing and it has been very helpful. I did do it a little differently though.

First of all, I did not just isolate it with just one gap in the rails. I have a siding that starts after a switch with a short section, about 8" long that is gapped at both ends followed by the rest of the siding. This prevents problems by giving me a buffer zone of track in case some wheels cross over while I am programming.

I used a 3 position 2 deck rotary switch.

Position 1 is normal run mode and the isolation track and the siding are on the DCC bus.
Position 2 turns off power to the isolation section and places the rest of the track in Programming track.
Position 3 turns off the isolation section and connects a decoder from the DCC bus to the end of the siding. This gives me virtual DC for testing engines before I decoderize them.

All in all it has worked out really well for me.

 

Well, if you think you have the spur set to running power, but it is set to program, what happens if you run a locomotive across the insulated gap? It would seem to me that this would be a very predictable error. Try to program locomotive, locomotive doesn't program, take locomotive off track, and forget to flip switch...

 

Hey Tu,
I set mine up basically like yours, with a DPDT center-off leading to an isolated track section on one leg of a two track locomotive storage siding. I'm not doing any ops programming, so no complications like that. Works fine for me.

Todd

 

I have a programming track on the control panel next to the DCC unit. Most of the time I program on the main, but use it for changing the loco address.

 

My layout is powered by a NCE SB3 which does not support a program track so instead of powering a connected siding with the Power panel and Powercab I built this small oval and made marks for speed matching. The more I used the connected program track the more I worried about crossing the gap and allowing the Powercab and SB3 power to mix. Very bad. So as mentioned before there are no worries this way.

 

i built this some months ago.



laptop and programming track (on the right side of the 'puter) are on a drawer mechanism.
so actually my programming track slides out together with the laptop which is used to set the decoders by using decoder pro.

 

Problem comes if yopu try to program and the engine is across the gap... it can have en effect on all engines on the layout... at least I think I heard that someplace.

 

After all wheels cross the gap the loco stops since there is no operating voltage/DCC signal (lost for the correct term here) going to the that section. Since the controller is not set to programing as far as the loco is concerned it is sitting on a dead section of track.

Gary