Is it safer or better to have engine storage tracks continuously powered or not - for DCS and Legacy/TMCC command control engines?

Paul,

There are two very good reasons to have all sidings switched:

1. DCS engines run their chronometers and ran k up time any time they are receiving power, started up or not.
2. All command engines, started up or not, draw power when on powered tracks, a slo any lighted cars.

Further, SPST switches are just fine. All you need to break is the Hot wire.

This and a whole lot more is all in “The DCS Companion 3rd Edition!" This book is available from many fine OGR advertisers and forum sponsors, or as an eBook or a printed book at OGR’s web store!

A lot of our club members leave the track power on, I prefer to shut down the engines. Seems to me less time on should equal longer lasting electronics. And with Legacy if someone press 99 all the Legacy engines will respond and start up.

When you have all the locos on powered tracks adding a loco to the DCS remote it has to sort thru all those locos to find the new one

We have a sizable yard on the club layout, and there is one leg that stays hot. One of members left one of his scale MTH Hudson's on that part of the layout.

We had a derailment out on the inside main, and that engine went into full throttle, over shot the end of the yard, and onto the floor.

I'd definitely do what Barry and Matt suggested, but this was just a story that I personally knew about. If we'd install a toggle switch when we built the yard, this wouldn't have happened.

That didn't even take into account of the hard feelings from the mishap.................................................

I agree that it is much better to turn off the power to engines that are not running.  I have had several mishaps when engines took off unexpectedly because they were sitting on powered tracks.  I think that the problem is that many Lionel and MTH 3-rail engines reset to conventional mode when the power is momentarily interrupted.  It is better to be safe than sorry.

As a side note, I am a member of a HO club.   We leave engines on the entire layout powered whether they are running or not.  Keeping engines powered when using DCC has not been a problem.

NH Joe

You are correct Joe, about the switch to "Conventional Mode", then the transformers are most of the time, set to 18+ volts, and away we go!................

To me the shear benefit of safety, and possible damage to 1 or more trains, over rides any question of not installing a on/off power switch!

As far as signal loss, we haven't experienced anymore since following "Barry's DCS Book", and some other filters at various locations, and we have 2 full time Z-4000/TIU, as well as, Lionel TMCC routing with the TIU. 

Like I said earlier, I witnessed a very beautiful scale "Hudson" get trashed, just because we didn't take the time to install another toggle switch, on that yard spur!..............................

FWIW.  These are all good points. But for me, I like to keep my DCS engines powered to keep the batteries charged. I have over 20 engines on my layout right now and I can call on any of them to start and run at any time. I also have many toggle switches and there are certain situations where I kill the power like passenger car trains. I must admit though, that when I have visitors and get distracted, I do tend to kill the power to more tracks to minimize the chance of mishaps.

I like to shut down the noisy ones with the toggle,  or shut off the lights as the prototypes usually do,  also have toggles on the caboose storage tracks. 

Lets not forget what happens when the TIU is already powered up and a track is suddenly toggled on!   

I think toggle switches for the tracks would help, most layouts use them to ensure that nothing on another track can power up and take off like a banshee or a bat out of hell.

Another point is many times when engines come up in conventional mode, even when they don't take off, they will run their smoke units.  If you don't pay attention, they'll cook the unit and you'll be doing a smoke unit rebuild.

Turn off the power!

Good points, thanks everyone. It'll be toggles for my limited yard.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Another point is many times when engines come up in conventional mode, even when they don't take off, they will run their smoke units.  If you don't pay attention, they'll cook the unit and you'll be doing a smoke unit rebuild.

Turn off the power!

I have toggle switches that control power to almost all of the sidings on my layout for this very reason. And if nobody else has already mentioned it, you want the good electronics store kind and not the cheap light switch kind they sell at the hardware store. The latter will kill a DCS signal. Don't ask me how I know. /

I am only running TMCC.  I use a BPC (Block Power Controller) to control all 4 yards.  The layout is powered up so infrequently these days, but if I were running trains every day, these would definitely be shut-off using the BPC.

In your specific case, I would recommend toggle switches.

George

Good topic:

I switch AC power to 10 different isolated "block" sections using high current relays.  The relays are activated using a DCS TIU/AIU combination. Power is supplied by a Z4000 transformer using 16 gauge wire to each block.  Each block feed is also protected by an individual circuit breaker.

However since I use Passive Mode control I also wire separately to each block from the TIU OUTPUT channel using 20 gauge wire which also has a series connected 560 ohm resistor for isolation on each block feed. Since this feed carries very little current a small gauge wire is all that is needed. The wiring from the TIU is a "star" configuration.

Since I run both TMCC and conventional I need to be able to control the power on my ridings. I use an SC-2 in accessory mode. It can control power to 6 different sidings. I also use either a lighted lock on or a lighted bumper to be able to see if power is on since the control button has toggle action. Another benefit is that I do not have to run a wire for each siding back to the control panel which is about 40-50 feet away.

Scott T Johnson posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Another point is many times when engines come up in conventional mode, even when they don't take off, they will run their smoke units.  If you don't pay attention, they'll cook the unit and you'll be doing a smoke unit rebuild.

Turn off the power!

I have toggle switches that control power to almost all of the sidings on my layout for this very reason. And if nobody else has already mentioned it, you want the good electronics store kind and not the cheap light switch kind they sell at the hardware store. The latter will kill a DCS signal. Don't ask me how I know. /

I use the light switch switches and have no problems. I use TMCC and Legacy though, no DCS. I think they're great and cheap and no current problems. I'll also echo that I like everything switched that isn't the mainline.

I have toggle switches for every single track section that is NOT a main line, i.e. every track in the yard, every track in the engine terminal, and the track into the rural area. I learned the hard way that TMCC equipped locomotives "turn on" in conventional mode and thus "take off" at full voltage/speed if they ever loose their TMCC signal (MTH locomotives 'turn on' in neutral when are in conventional mode).