Comments on: Re-Wiring Ballasted Track

By: Morgan Bilbo

Morgan Bilbo — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 21:49:15 +0000

If your turnouts are the type that feed power only to the route chosen, that should be enough. My turnouts are hot when thrown that way. When thrown the other, that unconnected track is powerless. I have a loco sit on the siding dead. No headlights,sound. When I need it, just throw the turnout to that siding and that loco lights up and makes sounds and moves. (Obviously, this is DCC) This is because of point feed. And some turnouts and/or people – don’t like point feed. If your turnouts are not like that and are powered on both tracks, then the above advice is good.

By: Rudy

Rudy — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 15:31:09 +0000

Thanks for your help on this…It’ll save me from ripping up some established scenery…

By: David Stokes

David Stokes — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 08:46:05 +0000

The guys above are on the right track. For “belts and braces” I’d cut both rails each end of the siding or loop, and solder droppers to both rails of all sections of rail in the isolated section. The holes either side for droppers need only be 2 or 3mm (really small) so disguising them should not be an issue. If the siding or loop is long enough you could park more than one loco by isolating it into two or more sections. Each section will need its own wires going to a toggle switch.

By: Sheldon Clark

Sheldon Clark — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 11:59:13 +0000

You don’t need to cut both rails to form an isolating section. If it’s a dead-end siding that is controlled by an isolating turnout, the whole siding should be dead anyway when the turnout is set against the loco. If it’s a dead-end siding that’s controlled by a non-isolating turnout (as I have found with my Märklin turnouts intended for Z Gauge), you can get away with cutting one rail once for each isolating section you require and connecting the two ends with a wire leading from the rail on one side of the cut to a single-throw, single-pole switch and another wire leading from the switch to the rail on the other side of the cut. If it’s a loop, you’ll need one cut fewer than the number of locos you wish to store (if you’re using isolating turnouts) or one more cut than the number of locos if you’re using non-isolating turnouts. For every cut, you’ll need to solder two wires to the track & connect each pair to a single-throw, single-pole switch.

By: Dale Arends

Dale Arends — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 00:48:54 +0000

Probably the easiest way is to use a Dremel tool with a thin cutoff wheel to cut some narrow gaps in the rails. Then drill a few small holes next to the outside of the rails and drop some feeder wires that you can connect to the toggle switch. To disguise the gaps in the rails, glue a thin piece of styrene in the gaps and trim and paint them. The wires soldered to the outside of the rails can be hidden by gluing a small “shrub” there, making sure it is low enough to not interfere with the train wheels.