# Kato HO/OO feeder track ?



## Simon TK (Aug 30, 2019)

If I lay my Kato feeder track with the blue and white cable coming out at the top, which track does the blue cable go to ? The top or the bottom ?


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

By "top and bottom", you might also mean "inside rail" and "outside rail". And even that depends on which side of the layout you're looking at!

Actually, it doesn't matter -- UNTIL you connect another feeder someplace else (which you might want to do on a larger layout).

THEN you have to be sure that all the blue wires go to the "same rail", and all the white wires go to the OTHER rail...


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

J.Albert1949 said:


> By "top and bottom", you might also mean "inside rail" and "outside rail". And even that depends on which side of the layout you're looking at!
> 
> Actually, it doesn't matter -- UNTIL you connect another feeder someplace else (which you might want to do on a larger layout).
> 
> THEN you have to be sure that all the blue wires go to the "same rail", and all the white wires go to the OTHER rail...


What he said. If it's a DC layout, the only thing that will change is the forward / reverse direction, which may matter if your controller is actually marked "forward" and "reverse", but it's easy enough to swap if the direction of travel doesn't match the label. In DCC, the decoder is programmed to determine the "normally forward" direction.

One thing is for sure: as long as you have only one set of feeders, you can't hurt anything, no matter how you connect them. As J.Albert says, if you have more than one set of feeders, then you will short the system if you don't maintain the same polarity (that is, power pack terminal to rail) with all of them.


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## Simon TK (Aug 30, 2019)

What I want to do is connect power to my sidings.
As when my points are set to travel round my loop, it means my sidings are dead.

What I am asking is which way round I put my sidings feeder track ? With the blue and white cable outlet side going to my original outer track or inner track. 
As when I throw my points to travel into the sidings, I will have a potential short !

I hope this helps to clarify my issue ?


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Why do you want to keep power out of your yards until the points are moved? With DCC the locomotive sitting in the siding isn't going anywhere until you address it and give it a command.

Unless you are building a DC layout...


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## Simon TK (Aug 30, 2019)

How do you mean ?


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

Simon, is there any chance you could show us a track plan?
Even a rough drawing is ok.

Are you using dc, or dcc?

Also, what kind of TRACK will you be using?
That can matter, too.
If it's Kato Unitrack (which I like), even different switches will produce different results.

The #4 turnouts with the brass frog are "power-routing". They will "shut off" power unless the route is lined up for them.

The Kato turnouts with the plastic frogs can be set to "power routing" or "NON power routing" by changing the two screws on the bottom. This is explained on the packaging.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

If the 'right on' suggestions from our members do not
solve your 'dead' spur problem you can simply
run a track drop from the two frog rails of each 
turnout: Note that
the straight rail should get power from 'left' bus and
the divert rail should get power from the 'right' bus.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Simon TK said:


> What I want to do is connect power to my sidings.
> As when my points are set to travel round my loop, it means my sidings are dead.
> 
> What I am asking is which way round I put my sidings feeder track ? With the blue and white cable outlet side going to my original outer track or inner track.
> ...


Well, that's exactly what I described in my first response. You will need to determine which wire is connected to which track on the loop, and preserve that same polarity in each siding that you connect.

If you are using a terminal track with some kind of a plug that goes to the power pack, you will need to look at the underside of the piece, and you can usually see the contact strips connecting one side of the plug to each rail.

Are you using DC or DCC? You posted this in the DCC forum, so it might be a safe assumption that you're using DCC, but your "How do you mean" reply above tells me that you don't understand the difference. Remember, though, as I said above, it doesn't matter as far as the answer to you question: the polarity of the feeders for the sidings must match that of the main.


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## Simon TK (Aug 30, 2019)

" You will need to determine which wire is connected to which track on the loop"

That is my problem. As I don't know which track the Blue or white cable go to. The only indication I have got, is that the cables come out of my top rail.


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

If you turn the Unitrack feeder track over you will see that there is a cover held in place by a screw. Use a small Phillips head screwdriver to remove the cover. This will allow you to see which wire is connected to each rail.


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

Good tip by PRRfan above.

Once you have the back cover off, get a piece of paper and make your own diagram.

You want to note which color wire is "closest to" the wires sticking out the sides of the track.

Now you have a "reference point", so that you can determine which is which when you install more feeders.


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## Simon TK (Aug 30, 2019)

I should of just done that in the first place !
It is the blue which goes to the track nearest the wires.

But my understanding of which way round I put my siding feeders is correct.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Simon TK said:


> " You will need to determine which wire is connected to which track on the loop"
> 
> That is my problem. As I don't know which track the Blue or white cable go to. The only indication I have got, is that the cables come out of my top rail.


I said above: "If you are using a terminal track with some kind of a plug that goes to the power pack, you will need to look at the underside of the piece, and you can usually see the contact strips connecting one side of the plug to each rail."

Did you do what I suggested? What did you find when you did? I anticipated that this might be the trouble you were having and already told you one way to solve it. It sure would be nice to know whether you can determine which rail is which by simply checking underneath the terminal track. [EDIT: ah, yes, I see that you did, and after removing the cover, solved the problem, just like I thought]

Still can't see it? Try this: take all your locomotives off the track, just in case. Take a pair of test leads with alligator clips, and hook them up to the terminals in the back of your power pack. Clip the other ends to the tracks in a siding. Does the breaker trip? If so, you have them connected backwards. If not, then that's the polarity you need to use. Don't have test leads? Well, you ought to consider investing in some, because they are a great tool for a model railroader, but if not, any spare piece of wire will do. It's just trickier to keep it in place.

But there's no requirement that you use that plug, if it's causing you so much trouble. You could just snip it off, strip the ends of the wires and connect them to a terminal strip. Then you can take feeders for all your track off the terminal strip, and the polarity will be obvious.


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## Simon TK (Aug 30, 2019)

And I said, also above :-
“I should of just done that in the first place !
It is the blue which goes to the track nearest the wires.

But my understanding of which way round I put my siding feeders is correct.”

So all is good thank you.

[EDIT: ah, yes, I see that you did, and after removing the cover, solved the problem, just like I thought]

OK


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