Please Help a Newbie - Question about Turnouts

[Nscale]

Hi everyone.

I’m new to model railroading and recently bought an N scale train set along with some Kato Unitrack. Everything is going well, but I do have a few basic questions about incorporating turnouts into my layout.

I’ve just started playing around with my new Unitrack, and at the moment it’s really basic. Right now I’m running a single locomotive with a DC power pack. The track layout is just a single oval with one turnout, and the turnout leads to a couple of lengths of straight track terminated with a bumper. I’ve found that if I have my locomotive on the diverging track, the locomotive will work if I have the turnout switched to the diverging track. However, if I switch the turnout to straight while the locomotive is on the diverging track, the locomotive will stop. In other words, it appears as though the switch is actually routing power to either the straight track or diverging track, depending on the orientation of the switch.

Is this considered normal operation for a model railroad turnout? Ideally, I’d like to keep power on both the main track and the diverging track regardless of the orientation of the turnout switch. Do most turnouts route power to both the straight and diverging track at all times, or does it usually depend on the orientation of the switch? And, if the latter is the case, then would I need to run another power feeder to the diverging portion of the track to keep it powered at all times? In the future I’d like to make a layout with multiple turnouts, but it seems like it would be a pain to have to add feeders to all lengths of diverging track.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m using Kato Unitrack, and I’m currently using a #6 turnout. While the #6 turnouts don’t have any adjustment, I’ve read that power routing can be easily configured on the #4 turnouts via screws on the bottom of the track. Does this mean that I could configure the turnout to simultaneously power the straight and diverging portions of track, regardless of how the switch is set?

In summary, I guess the main point that I’d like someone to verify is that if I want to have DC on my entire layout regardless of how a turnout or multiple turnouts are switched, I would need to either (a) add feeders to all portions of diverging track if I’m using a #6 turnout or (b) switch to using #4 turnouts which can be configured power the straight and diverging track simultaneously. I had read in a couple of different places, including on Kato’s website, that #6 turnouts are generally preferable to #4 turnouts on account of the wider radius. However, the power routing issue with the #6 turnouts might be enough for me to switch to using #4 turnouts. The prospect of having to run a feeder to diverging track every time I add a new turnout just seems like a pain.

Finally, in the future I’d like to add multiple locomotives and add DCC control to my layout. Given the way the Kato #6 turnouts handle and route DC power, I’d assume that I’d have the same issue with a DCC controlled track. In other words, I wouldn’t be able to use the #6 turnouts switch-independent unless I had feeders on the diverging track.

Thanks to anyone who’s made it this far into my post, and thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to provide some advice!

 

[Pete V]

Additional feeders is actually a good idea anyway and in a layout of any decent size you would ideally want to have feeders quite frequently. Some people have them in every section of flex track.

You are quite correct that the turnout is power routing. While I don't do "N" gauge, Atlas turnouts don't power rout as a rule but you have what you have. If you are going to run a layout of any size, run a buss wire about 12 gauge under your layout and take feeders from it in 20 gauge wire. The feeders should be short, under a foot.

Number 4 turnouts will cause derailments easier than 6 turnouts and in my opinion, operations look better with number 6. I like number 8 even better. I do have some # 4 in the yard areas.

DCC only operates where there is power to the rails so you would indeed need it and it does allow for multiple trains at a time, increasing the challenge and realism.

 

[TrainboyH16-44]

To elaborate on Pete V's spot on comments, you have to check with a specific manufacturer to find out if their turnouts are power-routing or not. Power-routing turnouts are (have been) popular on DC layouts to isolate sections of track for locomotives you don't want to run.

That being said, I remember reading elsewhere about that screw, and that's exactly what it would do. You don't necessarily have to have a bus and feeders, but it would help make it more reliable. If you're just fiddling around, I wouldn't bother with them until you get something more permanent set up.

 

[railnut49]

Hi N scale, there are a couple of turnouts that power route, and the reason for this as has been said, so you can park a locomotive on a siding and let another run on the main. This saves you the trouble of using an insulating railjoiner, and an on/off switch to do the same thing on the siding. Yours is one and the other is Peco turnouts. Personally, I love these as it simplifies wiring. If you don't like it one solution is to find out which side of the turnout is dead when the switch is in the straight position, then solder a small short jumper wire from the main line to the dead rail, and you won't need to worry about power routing. If at some point you decide you want to go back to the original, just cut the jumper wire, and you now are back to power routing.

 

[Pete V]

... but if you have DCC, you can park the very same engine on a siding with the power on full and leave it right there to be run whenever it is ready to go.