Blocking track for DCC installation


Sorry if my post caused any confusion. A smaller or even a medium sized layout doesn't require power districts or circuit breakers or blocking.

I was well on my way into wiring my modest sized DCC layout in a 16 x 12 room before I even knew much about districts, circuit breakers and the other requirements of a larger DCC layout. I have a centrally located Command Booster location and the DCC buss runs in two directions from the Command/Booster, no districts of any kind, no circuit breakers or additional Boosters on my layout.

Using blocking on a DCC can take several forms that include of which you have read about:

- Blocking sections of a yard to turn of power being routed to standing locomotives.

- Blocking of a layout for power districts.

- Blocking for the use of circuit breakers.

- Blocking for signals.

- And blocking for a reverse loop, if your layout has one.

- Blocking for combining DC and DCC on a single layout.

- Blocking for DC layouts and Cab control.

Using the term blocking when referring to feeders is confusing to those new to DCC. I think for DCC users using the term "Sectionalizing" would be a better term than blocking and leave blocking to DC users. Feeders are installed to lengths of track between rail joiners and are connected directly from the buss to the track. On a simple DCC layout the buss feeds all the track via many feeders without the need for any electrical switches. A simple loop of track could and would operation with one or maybe two sets of feeders

The purpose of a feeder is to supply the power and DCC signal to sections of track and not worry about a loose rail joiner (or the diverting side of a turnout) that would interfere with the power transfer and DCC signals and secondly help reduce power drop along the rails in long sections of track on a larger layout. Its recommend to solder each rail joiner.

Take a look at "Wiring for DCC"on the internet.

DCC helps keep every thing simple.

Hope this helps.

Greg

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wiringfordcc.com
Thank you for the post it is very informative. I have a medium layout approx. 20m return. when I'am sectioning off an area must it be one track at a time? for example I have a rail yard that split's into multiple lines (see image below). Example 1 treats the whole area as 1 section. Example 2 treats the area as seperate blocks that are space by plastic rail joiners and power feed directly to each line, similar to a DC layout. Also I am using Insulfrog points by Peco not sure how that will affect dcc operation. I cant afford electrofrogs at this point.
 

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On my layout I have divided the layout into 8 "blocks" that are relatively large portions of the layout, not the same concept as DC blocks. I may have multiple trains in one DCC block. I have one circuit breaker for each DCC block and an on-off toggle switch for each block. That way if somebody shorts something out in one area it won't stop operation in another and I can completely shut off power to any section of the layout for trouble shooting, construction, etc. Each block or section has its own bus, there is no one single bus supplying the whole layout. That way if I cut power to one bus, the other busses can be powered.

Here is my power distribution panel (its an older picture, the remaining circuit breakers have been installed). It is visible from the door, so when I leave the RR room I can see if I left the power on and easily see if there is a short someplace. On the shelf at the bottom is my NCE command station, above the row of block switches, then the circuit breakers and the busses run out the top.
Thanks for the post its an option I am considering because it seems straight forward. I was planning to use light bulbs as circuit breakers is that still a reliable option?
 
Example One would be the correct choice after adding feeders to track beyond the diverting leg of the turnouts. Eliminate the top track or add to the tracks below. The first turnout could remain on the top track, but I would change its direction. The other feeders remain.

example wiring revised.jpg

No need for rail joiners. Forget Example Two

Sorry about the crude Paint drawings.
 
Example One would be the correct choice after adding feeders to track beyond the diverting leg of the turnouts. Eliminate the top track or add to the tracks below. The first turnout could remain on the top track, but I would change its direction. The other feeders remain.

View attachment 121971

No need for rail joiners. Forget Example Two

Sorry about the crude Paint drawings.
Thanks for the advice that sound's great and don't stress about the diagram mine is no Picasso either (haha) , I get the point though. Q) this is for my own reference in future, am I removing the plastic rail joiners because I am using Insulfrogs instead of Electrafrogs? or is the idea of using plastic rail joiners an outdated idea? I ask because many video's I have seen mention this a lot.
 
Thanks for the advice that sound's great and don't stress about the diagram mine is no Picasso either (haha) , I get the point though. Q) this is for my own reference in future, am I removing the plastic rail joiners because I am using Insulfrogs instead of Electrafrogs? or is the idea of using plastic rail joiners an outdated idea? I ask because many video's I have seen mention this a lot.


On my 12 x 16 layout, you'll never find a plastic rail joiner. Where I cut gaps for the reverse loop I used AC to fill the gap(s) to prevent any movement or closure. On DC layouts, because of all the gaps needed for the blocks, plastic rail joiners have a important value for many modelers.

Greg
 
When I switched from dc to dcc I had wired with blocks with dpdtco toggles. It is a good sized layout 20 by 30 so there were quite a few blocks. After a couple of years I realized I had not changed the position on any of the toggles. So I took them all out. Outside of a few unrelated problems it has been trouble free
Mike
 
I like to add that when I started with DCC, my DC have blocks (sections) and the toggles remained closed like Mike above mentioned. Actually DCC is very simple and just remember that the diverting routes at the turnouts need feeders as well as the track attached ahead of the turnouts. I would lay track and wire as you go along to discover and dead sections or shorts.

Greg
 
this is for my own reference in future, am I removing the plastic rail joiners because I am using Insulfrogs instead of Electrafrogs? or is the idea of using plastic rail joiners an outdated idea?
Yes you are correct. The gaps, whether they are real gaps or plastic rail joiners, would be due to the hot frog turnouts, not due to DCC. The Peco electrofrogs are hot frog turnouts. Insulated plastic rail joiners are not outdated.
 
And worse if they are operated by different drivers. I had that happen at the club where the meeting was inside a tunnel and the opposite entrances were on the other sides of a vision screen. At least retrieving the derailed rolling stock was not difficult as there was no guard railing to prevent landing on the floor. Calling out that you were about to enter the tunnel did not prove to be a great preventer. Especially with the other operator driving a British express train at prototype speed.
That happened to me in the late 1990s, where I was running a 100+ car coal train into a tunnel, and another operator ran his brass twentieth Century Limited through the other end of the same tunnel. There was coal and train parts all over the concrete floor. The solution that was rigged up was the tunnel could only be powered by one end's power source at a time. It wasn't perfect, but if you tried to go into the tunnel, and your train started stuttering and balking, go check the other end before proceeding.
 
That happened to me in the late 1990s, where I was running a 100+ car coal train into a tunnel, and another operator ran his brass twentieth Century Limited through the other end of the same tunnel. There was coal and train parts all over the concrete floor. The solution that was rigged up was the tunnel could only be powered by one end's power source at a time. It wasn't perfect, but if you tried to go into the tunnel, and your train started stuttering and balking, go check the other end before proceeding.
They did eventually set it up with a tablet above tied to the exposed roof trusses, so either side could see the other with a camera inside to watch for any trains inside. This is on the end of a peninsula and has a fairly roomy mountain over it. There's 2 internal "tunnel" tracks plus the outside spiral which restricts the height over those, as all are competing around the edge. The difficulty in putting guards in there is that restricted height. Of course those tunnels were an afterthought, but they do add a much needed expansion to the original plan. Would have been a pain to do with all the supports that had to be avoided as well.
 
Here is the website that really explains, along with diagrams, wiring different turnouts.



Plastic rail joiners are not out dated, but the type and manufacture used is a personally choice.

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From Wiring for DCC by Gartner.-Greg

Greg
 



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