Peco Curved Turnout

[Bill Baker]

I bought a Peco curved turnout at a train show and the previous owner did not know if it had an electrical frog or insulfrog.  After hooking to my layout the power transitions from the main rail through the turnout with no problems.  When I throw the switch to the diverging rails, all power stops. My source of power is from my main line coming through the frog towards the points.  I assume from this behavour I have an insulfrog.  My question is this:  Should I provide power to the diverging rail and through the frog, or should I connect power from the main line, through the points and on to the frog anddiverging rail?

I hope I have adequately exlained this.
Thanks, Bill

[Tim]

Bill

You are feeding power from the wrong end of the switch.

Power should always be fed at the point end of a switch (Turnout).

You have an electrofrog switch, you will need insulated rail joiners on the short frog rails.

Tim L. Anders
Souderton, PA

[CNE Runner]

I agree with Tim...it sounds like you are feeding power through the wrong end of your turnout. The other possibility is that you do have an Electrofrog turnout and are causing a short when you move the point rails to the diverging position. Loy's Toys website has an outstanding primer on wiring the various Peco products...hopefully the website is still viable since Mr. Loy has retired. All my track is Peco Code 75 and all turnouts (and my single crossing) are Electrofrog. This is especially important if you run short engines (I run Bachmann 4-4-0s)...absolutely NO stalling! As Tim mentioned: if you do have Electrofrog turnouts you must insulate the diverging rails. IMO Peco makes the finest track products available.

[Bill Baker]

Hey, you guys are great!  I rerouted my power strip and insulated the diverging rails and everything works fine.  Thanks for the tip.

Bill