PECO N turnouts


DaveMichael said:
Could you point out where to locate feeders and rail gaps when using PECO N insulfrog or electrofrog turnouts?
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Always put the feeders on the point side, regardless insul or electro. It makes things easier.

For an insulfrog turnout, there is no need for gaps (or insulated rail joiners for that matter). They have jumpers on the underside so that the selected point rail will be powered appropriately. This is called power-routing.

For electrofrog turnouts the gaps depend on how the turnout is used in the layout.
1. If it is just a turnout to two stub end sidings (with no separate power to them) there is nothing else that needs to be done. One or the other sidings will be powered and the other will be dead depending on the direction of the turnout. Also power-routing turnout just in a different way.
2. If one side of the turnout is in a loop, the point side rail that is in the loop will need to have a gap (or an insulated rail joiner). This is because the power will go all the way around the loop and try to "come in the back door" when the turnout is thrown away from the loop.
3. If both sides of the turnout are in a loop, then both the rails from the frog will have to be insulated.
4. If the turnout is on a passing siding, both rails from the frog of both turnouts will need to be insulated, and a feeder of appropriate “polarity” will need to be put on both the frog side rails.
5. and it gets more complicated from there depending on the complexity of the track plan.

Generally, if power can get to the frog side of the turnout, whether from a loop in the track or actual power feeders from the supply they will need to be insulated.

For both types if you want power to all tracks at all time, you will have to add feeders to the frog side, and gap the electrofrogs.

I will disclaim that all by saying that Peco has recently come out with a new variant of their turnouts that are a hybrid of the old electro frog and insulfrog turnouts. I cannot even remember their designation. I do not have any experience with them and don't know how to answer this, if those are what you have.

Edit. I just looked it up. The new ones are called "UNIFROG". Looking at the images, it looks like they would behave electrically as an insulfrog, as both frog rails have a gap built in.
 
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