Peco switch's and semi-scale wheels.

[Schraddel]

One of my expieriences with Peco Code 83 Streamline track.


One of my very first purchases in US railroading was this Peco #7 curved switch. It was raelly an so called Insulfrog switch, but the i did'nt knew that there were Electrofrog ones too.
This switch was laid on my layout and test runs were made. With some locos there were short circuits hock:
Why?
The reason was that i have some locos with flangeless blind drivers, as the Spectrum 2-10-2 i have shortly posted. The wheel rims are prototipically wider than flanged ones. These wider rims bridge the the insulated rails and causing a short circuit.

What to do?

I rebuilt the Insulfrog to an Electrofrog in situ. A new frog tip was made out of some brass profiles and soldered together to an new frog. Because tis new frog is not insulated there has to be made several other cuts to get the switch working properly in electrical manner. Rewiring was also done.
No short circuits any more.

My advise, buy Electrofrog and made the efforts to wire them properly. And enjoy later an uninterrupted travel over this switches even at crawl speeds.

Lutz