Controlling Power To Sidings

quote:

I am using Lionel tubular track with DCS. I have 2 sidings both coming off switch tracks. When placing a insulated pin in the center rail, do you leave the insulated pin in place that is there now in the switch track ? Also what type of a switch is used to send power off & on to the siding ? Thank you in advance for your replies.

If you are referring to the insulated in one of the outside rails, it must remain in place. The little section of rail that has the pin is used for the non-derailing feature. When a pair of wheels complete a circuit between the rail on the the other side, and that rail, the switch will throw to prevent a derailment. If you remove the pin, the rail will always have power, and the switch will throw to that side. Remove the pins from both the straight and curved rails, and the switch will "chatter" going back and forth between the two directions.

As far as electrical switches to control power to the siding, you can use almost anything. I typically use double pole, double throw, center off toggle switches. On one layout, I wanted a retro look, so I used ceramic based knife switches. I don't think I'd do that again.
The reaosn for double throw, center off is to be able to select which ZW outside handle controls the track, including "off".
The second pole can be used to wire up some pilot lights.

My approach to the switch is a little simpler than C.W.'s

I use a single pole single throw or simply an On Off switch non lighted heavy duty 20 Amp. On my control panel I have all my sidings and yard tracks on switches .

The switches are mounted in my schematic at their appropriate points.
When the power to the track is in the Off position the switch handle is towards me . When the track is energized it's away from me . This way I can look at a glance and tell if a switch is on or not just by it's position.

David

Am I understanding this right that coming off the switch from left to right insulated, insulated, regular ?
ROZY 205

Use a spst switch like this one. Either cut the center rail, or use a plastic or insulated pin where the switch meets the first track on the siding. Not sure of the exact terminology but I ran a wire from the center rail on the siding to the 'on' terminal side of the switch and then a wire from the 'off' terminal side of the switch to your common on your power source.

quote:

Originally posted by ROZY 205:
I am using Lionel tubular track with DCS. I have 2 sidings both coming off switch tracks. When placing a insulated pin in the center rail, do you leave the insulated pin in place that is there now in the switch track ? Also what type of a switch is used to send power off & on to the siding ? Thank you in advance for your replies.
ROZY 205

Since you have DCS, you can add an AIU. Then, you can add relays, controlled by the AIU, to control your sidings. This allows you to control track power from the remote. Kinda neat.

I typically wire track as "normally closed" on the relay, and control the relay via normally open on the AIU. This means that the AIU does not have to be powering the relay coil most of the time since most of the time, I leave my tracks on.

Sidings, I do the other way around. I wire the relay to the track using normally open, and still connect the coil to normally open on the AIU.

This makes controlling things a little odd since on the AIU I have to turn ON an accessory to turn off a track, but I label the accessory appropriately, and it works for me.

The relay coils draw 95ma, so I figure if I add enough of them, then needing to keep all the coils powered would add up after a while. Also, this scheme allows a sensible power on default of all tracks working, sidings off.

You don't want to run track power through the AIU. I'm not sure if the AIU could handle the current, but you wouldn't want to run the DCS signal through the AIU.

Mike

Here is a diagram of connecting a siding If you want to use an AIU just replace the switch with the AIU contacts

quote:

Originally posted by gregj410:
Use a spst switch like this one. Either cut the center rail, or use a plastic or insulated pin where the switch meets the first track on the siding. Not sure of the exact terminology but I ran a wire from the center rail on the siding to the 'on' terminal side of the switch and then a wire from the 'off' terminal side of the switch to your common on your power source.

Greg, I think your use of the word "common" may be confusing.