Where to place reversing module?

Fusion

New Member
I made this little drawing and was wondering where would a reversing module or modules go and where would the track have to be insulated? I'm guessing I would need 4 turnouts here. I'm still a little new to all this so please be gentle. :D

Thank you.
 

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Russ Bellinis

Active Member
You will need 4 turnouts to make that double crossover. The insulators should go in the center between each pair of turnouts.
 

GeorgeHO

Member
You need double insulation on both sets of tracks where the tear drop is. Thats 4 insulators. You should have the 2 sets of insulators separated by enough space to have the entire train in the reversing area, while you change the direction control for the rest of the layout. For operational purposes, you MUST be able to change the direction of the layout while the engine is TOTALY within the reversing block. To avoid potential shorts caused by cars that are lit (caboose, pasenger cars, etc) they should also be in the reversing block when you throw the directional control.

Where the switches are, you need the direction of both hookups to be the same when your engine crosses over the insulating gaps, and you need the same rail to be positive, and the corresponding other rail to be ground. It would make sense (?be required???) to hook up your positive treminal to both upper rails, or to both lower rails
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Fusion: are you asking about DC or DCC here? "Reversing module" suggests DCC. You would need a reversing module for the teardrop, and it should be gapped in all 4 rails just left of the turnouts. If you use electrofrog or all-rail turnouts, you need pairs of gaps in the middle of the crossovers and also between the turnouts in the lower track (but only on the rail with the frogs!)
"gaps" means an electrical break in the rail -- plastic rail joiners or a cut gap with something to keep the rails apart. Insulated joiners are the easiest.
 

Fusion

New Member
Yes, this would be for DCC.

Is this where the insulation gaps should be?
 

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60103

Pooh Bah
Yes.
Do you have another loop at the other end? Then you need the gaps there as well. Again, unless you have plastic frog turnouts, you will need extra gaps beyond the frogs.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Where the gaps go depends on where the ends of the rails that are not shown go. If that loop is the end of a "dog bone" style layout, there is no connection between the two tracks except at the cross overs, hence you would need to have gaps between each set of turnouts for the crossovers. If the loop is a return loop, then it would seem to me that the crossover switches are redundant operationally, or am I missing something?
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Yes, an alternat wiring would be to make the upper turnouts in the crossovers a reversing section. You need to run the reversing section a train length into the loops at each end. (only requires one reverse module.)
 
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