How to Make #6 Crossover into Power Routing?

[railer256]

My track layout is done other than one detail and that is I need to make the #6 crossovers power routing (or - worst case - cut the rail/joiner at the correct spot so that I can use a power routing switch further back to do it - though clumsily as I'd have to throw that switch when the engine got halfway across YUCK)

The turnouts are power routing but the crossovers are not - I need to make it power routing in order to use it as parallel tracks.

Can anyone assist - does anyone know how to convert it?

[Joe Satnik]

Dear railer,

I would isolate the crossover and put in block wiring instead of making the crossover power routing.   

Isolate the crossover main lines by cutting gaps in the two crossover rails, and disconnecting the foil jumpers from the rails at the proper locations underneath.  Note that the foil-rail connection from the outside rail to the divergent rail nearest the frog is left intact (on both sides).

This should be similar to these instructions for isolating the HO crossover:

http://web.me.com/msibnsf/Acela_Express,_The_Need_For_Speed/Modeling_Techniques.html

(Scroll to the bottom of the page.)

If you are running on 2 power packs, use Atlas #215 selector to energize the proper track blocks with the desired power pack.

http://www.atlasrr.com/Images/Track/Trackphotos/215.gif

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik   

[railer256]

Thanks (again) Joe.

I had hoped not to isolate the two but have gone that route (you convinced me).  I have two of these #6 crossovers ( a Left and a Right).

After cutting the center rails on both crossovers, interestingly, one of the two crossovers is no longer power conductive through the central section - the other crossover complex is still conducting. 

I put in a second set of micro cuts and verified that those rails are not conducting so now I will have to dig into how the foil works and the lines, etc.  Thanks also for the link, I am trying to puzzle through that now.  It is not clear what needs to get disconnected (the description is somewhat arcane) but I have hope.

[Joe Satnik]

These are the connections that should be left:

1 to 1 (north to south)
2 to 2 (east to west)
3 to 3 (east to west)
4 to 4 (south to north)

111111111111111111111111111111111

22222222222222222222         22222222
                               1       2
                             1       2
                          g       g
                      3        4
                   3         4
33333333333            3333333333333333

444444444444444444444444444444444

Not to scale, g = gap in rail

Any connection (e.g. foil) from 4 to 2 and any connection from 3 to 1 should be eliminated. 

Not shown:  point rails.

If a pair of point rails are isolated from one another, each should have a connection (electrically) to its nearest stock rail.  (2 pairs to check and take care of..)

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[railer256]

Thank you there is a wealth of data here which I hope helps others too