Hi - just registered today. I am 60 years old and starting a door and foam layout using Kato Unitrack. So far so good. The layout is essentially a folded dogbone. But the 'shaft' of the bone has a crossover from 1 to 2 and 2 to 1. This gives me two reversing loops I think. I am wondering if the DCC Specialties (alias Tony's...) PSX-ARSC auto-reverser will work with my Kato turnouts. They are supposedly snap coil type motors, and the PSX-ARSC is supposed to work with SC type motors. BUT, at ~$65 a piece, I'd like to hear from anybody with experience. Thanks... ps Maybe I should post in DCC, too???
Welcome! The Digitrax AR1 is only $30. Digitrax.com: Digitrax AR1 Auto Reversing Controller I have one I use with Unitrack. It works fine and I never even had to adjust the timing. Your "dogbone" layout sounds like something I'm planning on building, only mine will be an inner and outer loop with the "shaft of the bone" and double crossover feeding the inner loop. For a simple dog bone you only need one AR-1 unit, one side of the bone will be your main bus and the other will be the reverse loop. If you want to allow one train to be entering the loop while another is exiting you can use two AR-1s... one on each track of the shaft between the double crossover and one loop . In this scenario put the double crossover at the end of the shaft, not the center, to maximize the size of the train you can run. Both tracks are isolated by their own AR-1 and both loops at the ends of the bone are on the main bus. This is what I plan on doing.
