Shinohara dual gauge turnouts

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I am building a hon3 layout using Shinohara code 70 dual gauge switches, are these swithces dcc friendly? If not what do I need to do to make them work with dcc.

-- James Hoffman (james_hoffman@emoryhealthcare.org), November 01, 2004

Answers

James,

I guess we don't have any dual-gauge modelers monitoring this Q&A forum. I checked the Walthers website and don't see that any of the dual-gauge turnouts are listed as being DCC Friendly. It is probably a safe bet that the dual gauge turnouts are not DCC Friendly just like all their other turnouts were.

I would have to study one of them to determine if it was possible to convert them. Even if possible, they may require an excessive amount of "surgery." You will probably have to live with them as is. See my website http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm and the section for "Owners of Existing Layouts" for ideas on what to do with turnouts that are not DCC Friendly.

My website talks about providing a bulb for each turnout. That is what I do on my mainline. For an industry, you can probably get away with all or part of the industry being on the same bulb or electronic circuit breaker.

Note: To determine if you have a turnout that is DCC Friendly, see the top part of my section on turnouts that describes a DCC Friendly turnout. I am thinking about adding something that describes what a DCC Friendly turnout is not. If you have a frog that is not isolated from the closure rails OR if there is a common piece of metal connecting the points at either end, you do not have a DCC Friendly turnout.

-- Allan Gartner (wire4dcc_admin@comcast.net), November 05, 2004.


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