Peco code 80 turnouts

Its been awhile since I've used peco turnouts. I need to refresh my memory. Is it the insulfrog turnouts that work like power routing turnouts? I'm looking for a turnout that when the turnout is thrown to one route, it cuts power the the other route. I know they make an insulfrog and an elctrofrog. I just can't remember which one accomplishes what I'm after.

 

I have used Peco code 80 electrofrog turnouts since the 70's, they have been rock solid for me. But, if you use the medium radius (have had no problems with the large radius) electrofrogs, check the track gauge about a half inch before and after the frog in the diverging route. Nearly all that I have used in the past ten years are less than proper gauge. I file the rail to get the right spacing, others may use different methods. Let me qualify this comment, in that I model transistion era ATSF and run the stiff legged models of their eighty inch driver northerns. Robert

 

Thanks for the input and advice.

 

Guys, Doesn't the Insulfrog do what he wants to do? The Electrofrogs need to be insulated after the frog and feeders need to be ran after the turnout. Not insulating the Electrofrogs will cause a short. I've got a branchline under construction and it isn't wired up yet, so I park one of my non-dcc equipped trains on there and cut off the power by throwing the insulfrog turnout.

Trevor D.

 

The Insulfrog turnout is what he wants, I use them for single end sidings and they work great, if you want to cut the power just throw the switch!

 

OK, I'll add some confusion here.
Aren't they both power routing?

I thought the only difference was that the ElectroFrog versions gives the frog [ which is metal] power, where the Insulfrog is a non powered [plastic] frog.

 

This can be confusing. The best thing to do is to zero in on the frog and what it does as far as routing electrical power. The Insulfrog have a plastic frog which is nonconductive and thus is 'insulated' The two frog rails have built in jumpers that carry the power from the stock rails to the rails behind the frog. They do not get power routed through the frog from the point rails. The Electrofogs have a metal frog [conductive] there are no gaps or insulated sections of track between the points and the rails behind the frog. Thus the frog and the frog rails on an Electrofrog will be fed electrically by the point rails and have the same polarity as the stock rail that the point rails are in contact with. So it is the one that routes power to the frog rails The frog on the Insulfrog, being insulated, does not route power. Electrofrogs on double ended sidings need to have both frog rails insulated from both the main as well as the siding but on single ended sidings will need only the main track frog rail be insulated [depends on how the feeders are wired and blocking]. So the power is routed by whichever way the turnout is thrown. If thrown for the main then the siding will have both rails the same polarity and be an open circuit in which there is no flow of electricity. Thus one could park an engine on a single ended siding with an electrofrog turnout and it will not move unless the turnout is thrown for the siding. On a siding with an Insulfrog turnout the siding rails will have the same polarity as the main line no matter which way the turnout is set. Thus the power is not routed by the way the turnout is set. So Electrofrogs are power routing the Insulfrogs are not.

 

"I'm looking for a turnout that when the turnout is thrown to one route, it cuts power the the other route." The insulfrogs turnouts cuts the power to the oppsite side that the turnout is thrown. I have been using the insulfrogs turnouts and doing this for over 30 years! With the Electrofrogs turnouts you would need a switch to turn the power on and off to the rest of the track, because of the insulated rail jointer!
Note: If you are using a run around track then power is feed back threw the opposite direction and this won't work.

 

Not so. Power routing means the rails beyond the frog are powered through the frog by the way the points are set. So the route selected determines which route is powered by the frog. Thus "power routing" requires an energized frog. Something that an insulated frog is not.

Go here for the difference between insulated and power routing:

http://www.building-your-model-railroad.com/turnouts.html

 

Read this again maybe you will understand what he wants! "I'm looking for a turnout that when the turnout is thrown to one route, it cuts power the the other route."

 

if i am understanding this correctly
either will do exactly what you want
the difference is that the insulated has a plastic frog which would make an electrical break for wheels passing over it.
am i correct?

Gary

 

Thanks Boxcab, you saved me having to come up with that reply.
Robert

 

I've only ever used the INSULFROG version of Peco pointwork, in OO/HO and in N. If it's set to diverge, the straight is dead. If it's set to straight, the diverge is dead.

Regards,

Pete Davies

 

Same with the Electrofrogs.