management of reverse crossovers
#1
Need some guidance on this issue fellas. If you have two adjacent tracks and you place a crossover, fed from two insul frog turnouts, between the adjacent tracks, does this create a reverse crossover? If so, how do you eliminate the polarity issue? Where do you place the insulated joiners, if even necessary? I have at least eight of these crossover track situations on the new area (some a longish some and are very short). After laying a bunch of track on the industrial expansion of my layout, it just dawned on me I might have created a problem! However, the trains seem to run through these crossovers without complaint! Comments please. Thanks
Eric
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#2
Are all tracks powered from the same pack? (You don't say if you're talking DC or DCC.) If DC, and you're referring to a simple cross-over (not double) and all tracks involved are powered by one pack, then you should have no problems, polarity-wise. Proof of that is your comment that all trains run through without any problem.

P.D. You say "reverse" cross-overs....What exactly do you mean..?? Are you talking just going from one track to another parallel to it, or are you talking about a possible "reverse" loop situation..??
Gus (LC&P).
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#3
How about a photo or a drawing?
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times
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#4
Eric,

If you trace the track around and come back to the (exact) same spot, but going in the opposite direction, you've created a reversing situation. Otherwise, simply crossing from one parallel track to another does not create any special situation.

Andrew
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#5
Eric: I think you're asking if you've created a reverse loop? If you have a loop at the end and it connects the two tracks, you have. Example is a dogbone with the narrow bit connected. If you have a lot of tracks like sidings or a yard all from the same main track, you haven't.
If everything runs, you're probably OK.
DC or DCC? Doesn't affect the gaps, but will change the wiring.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
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#6
Thank you fellas. As I suspected and you have confirmed I have not created a crossover with a reverse problem as I am just connecting two adjacent tracks. I thought I had a real problem but discovered I had crossed two wires inadvertently (after several hours of looking). My PM42 was yelling at me so I figured the worst case scenario instead of rechecking the wiring that I was performing. All is well again on the A&R.

Eric
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#7
Eric...It's good practice when doing wiring, to check the "status" of the track after every wire is added/removed. That way, if you do something, and things don't work as before...you know that what you just did is a No-No....Saves a LOT of time & frustration down the road...
Gus (LC&P).
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#8
The one situation where two parallel tracks could cause a short besides a turn back loop at either end causing a reverse loop would be if the two tracks were electrically isolated and powered by two throttles in dc. In that situation if one track is "East bound" and the other is "West bound" a cross over would cause a short without gaps installed on both tracks. With dcc since the reversing function is accomplished by the decoder in the engine, there is no problem unless there is a loop at the end to make it a reverse loop.
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