Ok I originally posted a thread in the N scale Forum and realize this will be a better spot for it. As stated there I will be building a Free-moN set of Modules resulting in a return loop. K owing that special wiring is involved I think I got my self confused. To start I understand that being a reverse loop required an AR unit. Well I have increased the difficulty level. A normal layout plan would put the AR unit on the return loop. With the switch isolated from the loop section. However as seen in the track diagram below I have added a crossing to the mix. I believe the frogs here need isolation too. I am thinking a frog juicer here. Now the conundrum begins. What to dimwits the track between the crossing and the switch? The switch will Have a blue point switch machine on it. Thoughts? Now If this becomes too cumbersome I won’t use this module as the anchor bit will make a more simpler and traditional version of the “Y” and leads for the loop.
It all depends on how the crossing is constructed, but in N scale the routes may be isolated (e.g. unitrack are). If so, you can keep the switch, the crossing, and both routes between them, on the "mainline" power, and the diverging route south and west (if north is up) of the crossing on the reversing loop power.
dimwits? anchor bit? "Y" and leads? Stuff like this makes posts hard to understand. As BigJake said, it depends on the details of the crossover. Posting a close up pic of the frogs in the crossover might help.
Sorry I use my phone to type all this and for some reason the dang thing replaces words I type in with other words I don’t want. The Y is there because of the Y switch I could use. Anchor is there because it is the section that has the Y and leads into the reverse loop. I don’t know where the dimwits came from. I was tying to type leads. It is for the track between the crossing and the switch. The switch and crossing I will be using is an atlas code 55 n scale 7 switch and 30 degree crossing. And yes the track coming off the switch are called leads. Sorry if my real world railroading terms get in the way of model railroading terms. I use them for a living.
Sorry if I sounded a bit cranky. My phone does the same thing. Dimwits! That ATLAS crossing seems to have plastic frogs (the black parts). So I would think you can just ignore the crossing, since there should be no chance of shorting left and right rail when wheels run through it. In which case the whole thing would be just one auto-reverse loop, from lead to lead (I hope I'm using that right).
Agree with Stefan: The plastic frogs indicate the two routes through the crossing are isolated from each other.
