# Installing turnouts in series



## fulsom56 (Sep 18, 2015)

Good morning everyone!!! I can't find any information on options for connecting turnouts in series. In my photo on the lower portion are 6 Micro Engineering turnouts coming off the mainline. The first 2 off the main are for a siding & run around & the next 3 are stub tracks with the 3rd. also being used for the approach to my turntable.
My question is do I solder all of these turnouts together or is it preferable to use insulated joiners with feeders on each connected track? (They are just laid temporarily) 
I've read Alan Gartner's wiring for DCC & researched this subject but cannot find a preferred method. Do wiring schematics exist that show the best way to accomplish this install?


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## fulsom56 (Sep 18, 2015)

Additional info.: all 6 will be controlled with Tortoise switch machines. The turnouts are insulated frogs with a wire drop from the frog to the Tortoise.


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## fcwilt (Sep 27, 2013)

The design of the turnouts determines if you need to insulate the frog rails. 

Do you have a meter that can indicate resistance or continuity?

Also you may need short pieces of straight track between one turnout and the next to get the spacing of the tracks coming off the turnouts correct.


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## fulsom56 (Sep 18, 2015)

fcwilt said:


> The design of the turnouts determines if you need to insulate the frog rails.
> 
> Do you have a meter that can indicate resistance or continuity?
> 
> Also you may need short pieces of straight track between one turnout and the next to get the spacing of the tracks coming off the turnouts correct.


The frog rails are gapped from the frog so I would need to add feeders to the frog rails or connecting tracks.
Yes, I do have a digital multimeter.
I checked the center distance between the tracks (n scale) which is 1 1/8", a little tight but I think will work.


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## fcwilt (Sep 27, 2013)

The frog rails may already be electrically connected to the matching closure rails so that would be one thing to check with the meter.

The other thing to check is if the two frog rails are ever electrically connected to each other, depending on the position of the switch rails (the movable ones).

If they ARE then you will need to insulate the frog rails from the connecting tracks. 

You do not need to insulate the stock rails from the connecting tracks.

Here is a page showing wiring for a few different kinds of turnouts. It doesn't show the case where the frog rails are already connected to the closure rails via connections within the turnout.

http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm


This document shows that names of the parts of a turnout on page 16:

http://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/tn-12_2015.03.05.pdf


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## cid (Jul 3, 2014)

Hiya fulsom, if you're using DC and you want to isolate the spurs, yes, insulated joiners at the turnout end. Otherwise, regular joiners. For a temporary setup, I personally would not solder anything, just make sure the joiners are tight!


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## fulsom56 (Sep 18, 2015)

fcwilt said:


> The frog rails may already be electrically connected to the matching closure rails so that would be one thing to check with the meter.
> 
> The other thing to check is if the two frog rails are ever electrically connected to each other, depending on the position of the switch rails (the movable ones).
> 
> ...


Hi & thanks for responding.
The frog rails are not electrically connected to the closure rails. 
The frog rails also are not connected electrically to there adjacent stock rails.
The closure rails are electrically connected to the adjacent stock rails.
I'm just confused on weather I should isolate the siding tracks from the main line or if I should isolate the stub yard tracks from each other. I'm thinking by isolating from the main I'll be setting up a yard district but do I also isolate each stub (spur) track from each other?
I hope what I'm asking makes sense........


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## fulsom56 (Sep 18, 2015)

cid said:


> Hiya fulsom, if you're using DC and you want to isolate the spurs, yes, insulated joiners at the turnout end. Otherwise, regular joiners. For a temporary setup, I personally would not solder anything, just make sure the joiners are tight!


Hi Cid, This is DCC (NCE Power Cab). So the purpose for isolating each spur is to keep them electrically dead until you need to use them?
When I'm ready to connect the turnouts to each other PERMINENTLY would you solder them together or is doing so a bad idea if they give you problems in the future & they need to worked on or replaced?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

There are only two reasons you would want to use
insulated joiners in the yard configuration shown in
your picture.

1. The frog is electrically powered by the turnout or by a, for example, Tortoise
switch. Both frog rails would require insulated joiners.

2. You prefer to isolate your yard tracks.

If neither of those apply, don't use the insulated joiners.

Will you be using stall motor (Tortoise) machines or
Twin Coil?

If twin coil, I would suggest a diode matrix system for your yard.
Your panel would have ONE button in each yard track. You push
that button and ALL turnouts in the path to the main would throw.
Sounds complicated. Not. Simple, cheap diodes connect the turnout
motors. You would want a Capacitor Discharge Unit to protect the
twin coils.

Don


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## fulsom56 (Sep 18, 2015)

DonR said:


> There are only two reasons you would want to use
> insulated joiners in the yard configuration shown in
> your picture.
> 
> ...


Hi Don, I will be using Tortoise switch machines & my yard tracks, which are stubbed, in my opinion, should be isolated to control power to them. So I'll go with the insulated joiners.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I would isolate them, much easier to test then and you can always connect then together later. Trying to isolate later is not so easy. Also keeps you from having all those engines in your yard power up when you don't really need them. You can also make each siding a "route" and just use a push button to activate the "route" into the yard. I did that using a Digitrax DS64 programmed to control the yard "routes" and the stall motor switch machines.


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## fulsom56 (Sep 18, 2015)

Lemonhawk said:


> I would isolate them, much easier to test then and you can always connect then together later. Trying to isolate later is not so easy. Also keeps you from having all those engines in your yard power up when you don't really need them. You can also make each siding a "route" and just use a push button to activate the "route" into the yard. I did that using a Digitrax DS64 programmed to control the yard "routes" and the stall motor switch machines.


Lemonhawk, I like your idea. The Tortoises will be hooked up to a NCE switch8 mk2 with a NCE button board connected to the switch 8 which will give me manual control via push buttons on a control panel. The switch 8 can handle up to 8 Tortoises as can the button board. The switch 8 will give me control of the turnouts via my Power Cab accessory decoder addresses.
I plan on isolating the stub tracks & using toggle switches to power them on & off.


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