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Greetings all!??

How close can reversing gaps be to the turnout frogs without causing a malfunction?? I'm?building a small Sn3 layout and just added a wye.? I used a Tam Valley Dual Frog Juicer as an auto reverser and it seems to be working great; however, I've now discovered my gaps in the reversing track section are too close together to accommodate anymore than a three car train.? I can move the gaps further apart, but I'm afraid they will be too close to the turnouts and will cause confusion when the loco rolls over the frog, and then the isolation gap shortly after.? The turnouts are Fast Track and the frogs are controlled by a Tam Valley Hex Juicer.? ?Any answers and ideas would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks, Aaron Splawn (Roseville, Ca.)? ?

Aaron, you have bumped into the problem of the AR section shorter than the train, and next...the issue of two AR controllers adjacent at the same isolation gap. (Yes a frog juicer is essentially an AR controller) Take another look at your track diagram to find a way to include a longer stretch of track to be the AR section, possibly including one of the turnouts. Then use a different method of selectively powering that frog using contacts from the turnout motor or a relay instead of a frog juicer.

DonV

Aaron, one other thought. You might be able to gain some improvement by making sure your isolating gaps are filled so that steel wheels do not fall into the gap and touch both sides of the gaps at each end of the AR section at the same time. If the frog connection of your turnouts include a lengthy section of frog “exit” cut another gap and make a short section of fixed rail polarity to separate the frog juicer power from that of the AR section. Only a couple of inches of fixed polarity is required.


DonV

Thanks for the quick response Don!? I moved the gaps closer to the turnouts without any problems and everything seems to be working great.? I also tried moving one set outside the turnout, but immediately had a shorting problem; however, the end of the reversing track flows directly into a small switching yard, and then into a balloon loop, so it didn't surprise me.?

Anyhow, now I can pull a normal size narrow gauge train around the layout and through the wye without any issues...

Thanks for the help!? Hopefully it will help another member as well.

Aaron Splawn (Roseville, Ca.)