Greg, I don't know about you - but I only want to be running with a camera 'once in a while' ... not all the time. So the 'camera in the gondola' works for me. And the quality of the images is far sup

Allan, I have a -few- Peco turnouts that have those wires. They are all double slips. If Peco has adopted an attitude/practice of "we'll do this for all turnouts" then that helps anyone who is buying

Hi all, I was soldering feeders to an HO Peco Electrofrog turnout using resistance soldering. I kept the heat on it too long and heard a "sizzle". Sure enough when I checked with my meter one of the s

Charles, Many shorts in previously working track are caused by closed gaps (at points where you want the gap). Closed gaps are often/usually caused by overly aggressive track cleaning (pressing too ha

Lawrence, A crossover, in an of itself, does not constitute a reversing section. The only way to know if you have a reversing section is to take a car and "run" it over the layout thru all possible pa

... although this all seems un-intuitive it is actually rather simple ... once you wrap your head around what is really happening (and why). Reversing sections are not "difficult" but they are/can be

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Lawrence, Ok - seeing the entire layout I can see the need for reversing. Here is what I'd do. You have a left side and a right side - connected by the middle that has the crossover in it. One of the

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Lawrence, Unless you have some special situation happening a double cross-over does not require an auto-reverser. The question to ask/answer is "are the two mainlines (thru tracks) wired the same?" -

Nick, OK, I see now how you can go thru the same piece(s) of track in two directions - but always running forward. Those pieces are from A to B. If you are on 'the loop' (the track that is C,D,E,F and

Bill, The typical method for detection placement is for it to be on "the power to the block" rather than on "the power to one section of the block". I'll take the time to describe this further. Let's

Phil, Don't forget to also check all of the gaps - the ones you want/plan to have. If one of those has closed up ... most of the way but not all the way ... that can cause a short/intermittent short.

Nick, I -still- don't see it (a train that reverses direction and goes forward at all times). Even trying to follow others explanations. Would you please do this for me/us? Add several "letters" to th

Nick, I don't see a "reversing section". A reversing situation is a path where a train, moving in the forward direction only - can change directions across the same track. I see how trains on your lay

... or if you are like me you use an NCE PowerCab for your "basic/initial programming". The PowerCab is, quite simply, the best programming environment ... reliable, fast, and easy. I got one of these

Phil, The PowerCab is seeing a short/high amp draw - there's enough power for the layout to come up but not enough for the added draw of trying to move a loco. Sound locos draw more than non-sound. Di

Blair, OK, now that we have that sorted out ... the only other way I see a problem is if you have two different reversing sections -and- have them on both sides of the cross-over section. Your cross-o

Blair, You missed my point "whenever any train is crossing over". Said another way - set it up so that whenever the turnouts are set to cross-over then another train "can't enter the cross-over sectio

Blair, I understand more now (fully?). Since you are committed to this track plan here is what I suggest as a "solution that will make things possible/easy enough that it works". Figure out a way that

Blair, Your track plan is very "complex" and your "reversing sections" are (if I understand how you intend them to work) -very- short (as in just the cross-over area?). That seems, to me, to be a desi

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Blair/Don ... and all, You don't need to re-invent the wheel. DCC works just fine as designed. DCC wiring - if you follow Gartner's recommendations - is also easy and fool proof (if you follow them co