Newbie turnout questions

[fmp]

Hi All,

I am new to model railroading and I recently ordered my son a Bachmann DCC train set, model 501.  I also got some extra track and some remote turnouts, (not the DCC ones, they were just to expensive), so he can expand his track and I have a few questions I was hoping someone could help with.

1. In order to power the turnouts, I believe I will need an additional power supply, is this correct?
2. If I do, will any power supply do I or should I get something specific?
3. Is there any special way the power supply needs to be connected?
4. How many turnouts can be connected to the power supply?  Right now I purchased 3, but if he really gets into it, I will get him more.

Thank you in advance for any and all help!

[Jim Banner]

Hi fmp

1. Correct
2. Any power supply that puts out 12 to 16 volts ac or dc at 500 to 1000 milliamps (1/2 amp to 1 amp) will do the job.
3. The turnouts come with a cord to connect from turnout to control switch and another to connect from control switch to power supply.  Just connect the latter to your power supply.  If your power supply is a "wall wart" (looks like a fat plug) then you will have to cut and splice some wires.  Just make sure you insulate the bare splices so that they cannot touch and short out the power.
4.  The control switches are designed to be connected one to the next.  You can connect as many together as you want and have as many turnouts as you want because they draw power only when the control switch is pushed.  So unless you try to throw many at the same time, the current is just the current drawn by any one of them.

Jim

[fmp]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have another question, I was looking on eBay and there seems to be a very large discrepancy in prices between turnouts.  I know the curve radius of the #4, 5, 6, and that some are dcc and others are not, but am I missing something else?

Thanks again!

[jward]

the best advice i can give is to stay away from the standard ones and stick with the #4 #5 or #6, especially if you intend on backing trains through them. the larger the number, the gentler the curve, and the larger the locomotives and cars that you can run through it. the numbered ones have straight sections of track built into them which help you avoid having reverse curves when you use them as a crossover between parallel tracks. the standard ones will give you a 18" radius reverse curve in a crossover, which many trains don't handle well.

[Jim Banner]

A lot depends on the metal used in the rails.  In the Bachmann E-Z Track line, there are nickel-silver turnouts (grey base) and plated steel turnouts (black base.)  The nickel- silver ones are more expensive but for many people, require less cleaning.  In other brands, you may also run into brass turnouts.

Another difference has to do with the quality of the turnout.  Consider the point rails (the two rails that move.)  Some turnouts have hollow point rail made of sheet metal.  Others haves solid point rails.  The latter tend to stay in adjustment longer and last longer.  Then there are turnouts with plastic frogs (the place where two of the rails cross.)  Plastic frogs are okay for many of the longer, all wheel pickup locomotives but not so great with short, 4 wheel pickup switchers.  The latter are often reduced to picking up power on only two wheels as they cross a plastic frog so they tend to stall on these turnouts.  Turnouts with cast metal frogs cost more to make so cost more to buy and usually require some external method of powering the frog.  Turnouts with integral frogs made of the rails themselves are even more expensive to make and buy but are at the top of the heap in terms of operation and life expectancy.  Some of these have more detail cast into the ties and so, you guessed it, cost even more.

Just to complete the picture, the cheapest and some of the best turnouts operationally are hand laid ones with rails spiked to wooden ties or soldered to ties cut from printed circuit board material.  I would not recommend these to a Newbie, not because I believe they cannot learn to build them as well as anyone can, but because they take time which is better put to other uses at the beginning of a model railroad.

Jim