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DCC, AC and DC

A reader asks:

“I have a DCC engine and controller. Can someone please tell me if the tracks run on ac or dc from the controller? That is – does polarity of the power connections matter (assumed no if ac) and for a DCC system do I need to worry about track connections on return loops (mixing and connection of right and left tracks) in my track layouts?”

One Response to DCC, AC and DC

  • mrlogical says:

    Yes, polarity does matter and if you have a reverse loop, it needs to be insulated from the rest of the layout and you need to have some kind of a reverse loop relay to adjust the polarity when the loco enters and exits the reverse loop. I found one on the internet for $40 or so and it works quite nicely.(Don’t remember the brand)

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