I am running DCC and was wondering if you guys can help with wiring. The red circle is a crossover and I think it may be causeing a reverse loop. Am I correct? If so what do I need to do for wiring. I have a MRC reverse module and insulated rail joiners just need to know where I put them. Thanks in advance for your help. Also it doesn't show but the top and bottom tracks are continuous joined by 24 inch radius track. The main line runs like a dogbone setup. Thanks
It looks to me like you don't have a reverse loop at all, the train will cross another track but it never turns around
Looks like a crossover to me as well. You'll need an auto reverser for the frogs or make a dpdt polarity reversing switch if the frogs are 'live'. This should help you: WIRING A CROSS-OVER - Model Rail Forum What brand crossover are you going to use?
What you have is a crossing at grade NOT a crossover. A crossover is is done w/ switches connecting two tracks. Your track arrangement is nothing more than a siding . They just aren't parallel to each other. But you do have a reverse loop. If you replace the crossing w/ a switch to make it a crossover you wouldn't need the rest of that track.
You don't have a reverse loop as you've labeled it. As cajon correctly pointed out you have a 'crossing at grade'. Sometimes we use the terms incorrectly...... You'll need to add gaps as indicated on the revised sketch I attached (there are several places so look closely). Are you using "live" frogs on the turnouts or insulated ones? If you are using 'live' frogs then you'll need to add the additional gaps for those as well as well as provide power routing for them. The 'crossover' (as indicated by the blue line) will need some sort of reverser circuit. This link may help: Tam Valley Depot You will also need to gap and wire the crossover as indicated in the previous reply link. hth -G- Of course with your track plan you are making things much more complicated, electrically speaking. You may want to revise it to something more simple, just to make things easier......
You do indeed have a reverse loop, the reversing section is the blue section that Lateral-G highlighted. The crossing has nothing to do with it.
So then all I need to do is use insulated rail joiners at the beginning and the end of the blue section and then use a MRC reverse loop module wired to only that section. Does this sound right?
You still need a reverser for the crossing (if you are using one without insulated frogs). In effect that crossing is separating the true crossover track so the trackage on each side of the crossing will need it's polarity controlled. You may be able to wire the sections up in parallel and get by with just one reverser but you'll still need another for the crossing.
The crossover is insulated so does this mean that I will need an auto reverser before and after the crossover. Also I have a MRC Prodigy Express with a power booster. Right now the track is wired to the booster. Can I just wire the track(Blue Line) that is causing the auto reverse to the main line of the Prodigy Express?
If the frogs of the crossing are insulated simply wire the blue section to the auto-reverse module and you'll be fine. In short switching the source of the wiring will do nothing, you will still be getting shorts.
I have the following question: Why is the track branching off the right leg of the reverse loop, crossing the left leg of the revese loop, and then curving to the right and joining back the mainline even there? Is this a runaround track? A empty-in/loads-out industry? I would consider reorganizing your plan to remove that crossing altogether and adding a runaround to the right of that mainline...
