Peco turnouts

[bkpigs]

As I posted a while back I am deciding to scrap my shelf layout and redo it. This time I am wanting to go with code 83 track and was wanting to scratchbuild the turnouts. Well time is limited and I would like to just make some headway so I think I will be buying premade turnouts. My question is with the Peco electrofrog turnouts can I use the caboose industies sprung ground throws? The throws that I have are the sprung type with the electrical contacts.

I have Atlas Mark IV turnouts (from about 10 years ago and several layouts) but the reason I am deciding to not go with them anymore is I am tired of seeing my cars rock their way through the frog. Also my Southern GP59 has just the right wheel base and truck length that at very slow speeds it sometimes stalls on the plastic insulation on the ends of the frog. I am currently using DC but if I win the lotto or get a better job I would like to upgrade to DCC sometime.

 

[tankist]

with peco you don't really have to have ground throw. they have small handles (that really don't kill the realism for me anlike huge atlas boxes) and are springloaded from factory. of cource you can remove factory spring and use groundthrow but i don't really see why.

 

[kz9]

They should work. I have used the non-contact ones on PECO's and they work fine.....

 

[NYC_George]

Peco code 83 switches do not have the small handles there're on the code 100 switches. In the photo I have the yard switch controlled from under the layout. The switch stand is just for show. The detials have not been applied to the area yet.

George

 

[bkpigs]

with peco you don't really have to have ground throw. they have small handles (that really don't kill the realism for me anlike huge atlas boxes) and are springloaded from factory. of cource you can remove factory spring and use groundthrow but i don't really see why.

The reason I am wanting to use the ground throws is for power routing purposes. Since I will be using the electrofrogs I will need to isolate the frog and re-power it.

 

[NYC_George]

Brad I have both code 100 and code 83 Peco's. The spring on the code 100 switches seems to be much stronger than the code 83's. I like to leave the springs in. They seem to work better that way. If I'm not using some kind of power to throw the switch I use what's in the photo below.

George

 

[Motley]

I have 24 Peco switches on my layout, and all of them are controlled with the Peco switch machines that mount underneath the switch. I have DCC and control them with my throttle, but they also have DC versions of the switch machines.

 

[bkpigs]

Brad I have both code 100 and code 83 Peco's. The spring on the code 100 switches seems to be much stronger than the code 83's. I like to leave the springs in. They seem to work better that way. If I'm not using some kind of power to throw the switch I use what's in the photo below.

George

I like that setup. How do you control the power routeing of the frog? Just dilagence and paying close attention to what you are doing? I could se myself forgeting to change the polarity of the frog and shorting out. I am sure I could come up with something.