# dcc friendly turnouts



## joed2323 (Oct 17, 2010)

i recently bought around 15 #6 and #8 turnouts from atlas. 

I plan on running dcc and im flipping thru my modelrailroader magazine and notice a add by walthers that says dcc friendly turnouts:

Fully assy/ prewired jumper/ isolated frog w/built in connection/ powered points w/correct polarity/ isolated tie bar/ and so on.

did i just spend about 200 dollars on turnouts for nothing.  Please tell me i can convert these to accept dcc.

but wow those dcc turnouts are pricy - anywhere from 26 dollars and up.. i thought what i payed was alot

right now im thinking


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Well it's your lucky day, all newer atlas switches are DCC friendly!


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## joed2323 (Oct 17, 2010)

The atlas mark iv turnouts are? Oh thank gosh

Those puppies aint cheap. That must be why im assuming


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Try buying Shinohara turnouts they are some serious $$ and they are not DCC friendly!


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## joed2323 (Oct 17, 2010)

lol you can broke if your not careful what you buy in this hobby.... jeeze


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## buccsfan64 (Jan 22, 2012)

what makes them not dcc friendly? I was hoping to use some older turnout switches with DCC, what happes when i flip the spitch? 

Also, i have a lot of turn outs but only 2 of the original switches, I also have a bunch of toggles that click left and right. what can I use?


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## waltr (Aug 15, 2011)

There are a number of reasons a turn-out may not be DCC friendly. It is not easy to explain so here are links to explanations, then you can draw your own conclusions.

http://www.railwayeng.com/Turnoutgaps.htm

http://www.proto87.com/turnout-wiring-for-DCC.html

http://www.proto87.com/making-rtr-turnouts-dcc-friendly.html3


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## buccsfan64 (Jan 22, 2012)

Thanks Waltr, the second link was very helpful and my assumption was shown in option 3 though i may look into making the frog as short as possible. 

As for connecting the three wires to the switch, are there alternatives to he switch provided by Atlas? Is there a name for the type of switch I should use. I picked up an older panel from someone elses layout and there are many switches I can choose from. most are toggle type, left position, right position but i think they have 3 termilans.


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## waltr (Aug 15, 2011)

Yes, many alternatives. The technical name for the electrical part is a SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) switch. These can be in the form of toggle, rocker, slide, mirco, rotary (and a few I can't thing of right now).

They can be bought from many sources including Radio Shack (expensive and low quality) and from:

http://www.hosfelt.com/contents/en-us/d156.html

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...10001&freeText=switches&search_type=jamecoall

http://www.mouser.com/Electromechanical/Switches/_/N-5g2h?Keyword=switches&FS=True

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?x=0&y=0&lang=en&site=us&KeyWords=switches

Or salvage the switches from that old panel. Just use an Ohmmeter to determine the internals of the switch and which terminal to connect to.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

When your asking about control switches for a turn out I'm assuming your talking about the dual coil style switch machines (Atlas, Peco).
You can use standard ON/ OFF /ON, single pole double throw switches if you use a capacitor discharge unit, Or another momentary push button before the second switch.
You can also use a Momentary ON/ OFF /Momentary ON, single pole double throw switch, but that style of switch is not very common!


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## buccsfan64 (Jan 22, 2012)

Fantastic, thanks waltr


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

buccsfan64, 
Just be aware that you can not just simply flip a switch and give it power and it will work. Dual coil switch machines can only have power applied for a brief second or so or you will fry the coils!


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

the most comprehensive turnout wiring guide, what, why and how.
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm



waltr said:


> Yes, many alternatives. The technical name for the electrical part is a SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) switch.


careful, Sean is right, this is not a direct replacement. atlas is not just a electrical switch, it is a standalone controller. ugly, under-engineered and overpriced, but still a full controller.
best solution to actuate turnout motors will depend on motor type


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## buccsfan64 (Jan 22, 2012)

im using the typical Atlas turnout switch with the long narrow motor, not the kind with built in roadbed. They usually come with a square-ish shaped switch. i'll try one of the toggles to see if it works.


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

buccsfan64 said:


> i'll try one of the toggles to see if it works.


 why go through a hassle? frying these is much easier - little bit lighter fluid and poof! you are in posession of smoking turnout with beautiful drips of molten plastic if thats what you are after 

you need momentary buttons (or a momentary toggle) to actuate those. or if you want to be all proper about it a Capacitor Discharge unit (CDU).


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Anton,
That's some funny stuff there! :laugh::laugh::laugh:
But dead right! I don't use dual coil switch machines but if I did I would use a Capacitor Discharge unit (CDU). :thumbsup::thumbsup:
It makes the switch machines work better and no chance of smoking turnout with beautiful drips of molten plastic! :laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Chimball (Feb 1, 2012)

Let me just say you guys are scaring the shight outta me!


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## waltr (Aug 15, 2011)

As everyone said, if you are using the dual coil solenoid switch machines then use a momentary SPDT switch. The sources in the links I gave have those types of switches.

A slightly different way is to use a non-momentary switch to choose the turn-out direction then put a momentary push button switch on the common to the SPDT switch. You throw the SPDT to select the turn-out direction then push the button switch for a second to actually activate the turn-out switch machine. The SPDT then is also a indicator of the turn-out direction. This is really all the Atlas switch is.

The CDU is a good device as it eliminates any human error that could cause the solenoids to burn out.


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## keymania (May 22, 2014)

I just bought 4 New-In-Box older series (non-dcc) Walthers Shinohara curved turnouts (cheap) and have tested each one with a GP40 Athearn dcc with Digitrax, and no problems at all. What problems might I encounter in the future if I don't break these apart and rewire like users suggest? Right now, I intend to install these on my layout as-is.

Any suggestions?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Various turnout brands make claims of DCC friendly or some such.

I do not understand the basis of these claims.

An ordinary turnout does not care whether your layout
is DC or DCC. They will carry whatever current you 
feed them. 

You must, however, be aware of the electrical system of
the turnout's frog and points. Some frogs must be powered
through either a built in switch or an external one. 

Check the frog on the turnouts you just bought. Is it powered?
Check the frog rails for polarity changes when the
turnout is thrown. If it changes, you'll need to use an
insulated joiner between the frog rails and the track
to avoid short circuits.

If the frog is not powered, do you have any short locos
that may lose power when navigating the turnout?

With the knowledge of what you have and arrange for
any special wiring that may be necessary you should not
have any difficulties in the future.

Don


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## Hutch (Dec 19, 2012)

Although it requires some work, you can add pickups to the tender on small steam engines. These mods will take the shortest loco over your frog with no problem at all. Having learned this, I try to purchase trains that already have multiple pick-ups. Problem solved.


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