wiring for e-z track

[basileme]

new to e-z track.  I put together an oval track with a figure eight using standard left and right turnouts.  When power was hooked up I ended up with a track with no power. My grandsons and I were so disappointed when the  trains would not run.  I initially thought that my connector track was bad.  I ordered new connector tracks only to find out by trial and error that the assembled track was  the problem.    Is there an e-z track wiring book out there? 

[Bucksco]

http://www.nmra.org/beginner/wiring

[Len]

There are also a number of books on wiring available from Kalmbach Publishing https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/catalog/model-trains/books which you can order direct, or through a local book store.

If what you did with the turnouts and figure-8 was something like this:



What you did was create a 'reverse loop' situation, which requires special wiring and gapping the rails at key locations to prevent shorting out the layout. This would be needed even with DCC operation.

Len

[basileme]

thanks to the yardmaster and len for for their assistance.  Have ordered the kalmbach wiring book and will check out the nmra website.

I read somewhere that insulators could be used to gap the track but have not seen them anywhere.  I remember using them on my dad's o gauge track. 

I am using nickel/silver track.  Does this pose any unusual wiring dilemmas.

Regards,
Mike B

[Len]

Insulated rail jointers aren't absolutely required. You can cut gaps as needed using a Dremel tool with a cutoff disk. Or a fine tooth saw, such as those made by Zona.

N/S track doesn't present any special problems. In fact it's easier to solder to than steel track. If you're not used to soldering, there are plenty of 'How To' videos on YouTube. And it's a skill that has many other uses beside model railroading.

Len

[basileme]

When looking at your sketch I noticed in the lower right hand corner that the turnou was slightly adjusted.  Can I assume that you were indicating that I need to gap in two places, not necessarily at those two, but gap the track on two sides of the turnout for best results.

regards,
Mike B

[Flare]

You want to gap the tracks at the ends of the "x" formation.  The oval is fine, it's the crossovers that create the problem.


I highly recommend cutting gaps with a razor saw instead of using plastic joiners.  The metal ones are REALLY on there and you risk pulling the rail off with them, and the plastic joiners are thicker than metal ones and don't slide past the roadbed very well.


Also, which locomotive(s) are you using?  If they're DCC-equipped you can use a DCC controller with a reverse loop module to automatically reverse the polarity of the gapped crossovers.

[Len]

When looking at your sketch I noticed in the lower right hand corner that the turnou was slightly adjusted.  Can I assume that you were indicating that I need to gap in two places, not necessarily at those two, but gap the track on two sides of the turnout for best results.

regards,
Mike B

That's due to the difference between a computor screen and table top. The computor software has 0 "fudge factor", so things like that slight misalignment sometimes show up in the diagrams. On the table top, there's a small amount of "fudge factor" when putting track sections together that are off by a 1/10th of an inch or so. It's not enough to warrant getting the Zona saw out to trim pieces to fit. And, in real life, the difference is spread around the layout. So no operating problems are seen.

Len

[basileme]

Thanks again for the info.

 I am using a DC operatiion and the EZ track due to my small space.  I can assmble the track quickly into different layouts each time the grandsons come over for a visit making each time special.  When I retire I plan on either an N or Z scale that will be permanent and can build out as time goes by.

Regards,
Mike Basile

[jward]

if these layouts are temporary, you may want to avoid the complications of reverse loop wiring. eliminating the reversing sections will greatly simplify the setup of your layouts. once you decide to put up a permanent layout, then it would make sense to include reversing loops.

[basileme]

I probably will not do too many reverse loops in the future.  For now I just need to make this one work for now.

[Len]

You could do something like this:



It gives the impression the train is reversing direction, without the complications of actually having reverse loops. It's all 18" curves, and fits on a 4'x8' table. There's enough track there that you'll want to add multiple power feeds to keep the loco from slowing down, or stopping.

The the 30deg crossing near the upper edge of the pic is an Atlas #173 Customline 30deg Crossing. It's glued to a Midwest cork 30deg crossing block. Which in turn is glued to a couple of layers of poster board to get the height to line up with EZ-Track. Everything else is EZ-Track.

Passenger trains using 'shorty' cars, e.g., Bachmann 1860-80 old time cars, Model Power, and Athearn 72' cars, look pretty good on it. There's not a lot of options for adding switching locations. So 'through' passenger operation, or run through 'unit freight', work best.

Len

[jbrock27]

basil, look up/research "using DPDT toggle switch for reverse loop" or something similar to that.  YouTube and the net (Images via GOOGLE)  should do for what you are looking to do at this time.  You should be able to accomplish what you want by wiring one up.  DPDT stands for double pole, double throw.  You want an On/Off/On style toggle switch to switch polarity of the track back and forth as well as being able to turn off sections if you so chose, On/On if you do not want to.*  Depending on how your reverse loop is set up, you may want to choose one or the other style.

And as mentioned, I agree it can be a real PITA to get rail joiners off of n/s EZ track and would not be the first option for creating the necessary gaps in the track to create "blocks" as they are called.

*Slight mod to what I initially posted.