I have purchased and installed 2 Shinohara 3 way turnouts in my ingnorance. I hate to tear them out, so I would like to find a way te eliminate the short circuits I am getting. I am running Digitrax Chief. Any help? Thanks Bryan Hinkle

-- Bryan Hinkle (bhinkle@charter.net), July 01, 2002

Answers

Dear Bryan,

You did not mention where or how your three way turnouts are located on your layout.

Shinohara turnouts have live frogs and can route power. Thus unless the turnout is used in a siding and does not face another live frog turn out you will have to cut gaps in the rail downstream of the turnout frog. It is highly recommended to provide track power to the rails before the frog and turnout throw, points.

I use a Shinohara 3 way turnout on my home layout, which is also DCC (Digitrax Chief). I use it for a stub yard. What I did was to put plastic rail joiners across all six rails in front of the turnout. The three sidings are powered of of the bus.

Kalmbach has an excellent book on layout wiring by Andy Sperando.

-- David F. Butts (davidbutts@sprintmail.com), July 25, 2002.

Bryan,

The Shinohara 3 way has three gaps; two are worthless because polarity never changes across these gaps. The third gap is a false gap and does not work until a fourth gap is created. If this sounds confusing, don't worry, I will try to explain. You need to cut a gap between the inner points. Do this by cutting the brass bar between the points and on one side of the connection to the cross-tie below. Secure the loose point by drilling a small hole in the brass bar and screwing it to the cross-tie below.

Now, if you are really confused, let me know and I will send you a three page description of what I did.

Didrik Voss, davoss@pvmtengr.com

-- Didrik Voss (davoss@pvmtengr.com), June 16, 2003.