I originally was planning to power the frog and make Allan's modifications to my Walthers switches before installation. But now I've heard you cand use the switches without powering the frog and without any modifications with no problem if you use a tortoise to power the switch since there is sufficient pressure to insure good electrical contact through the points. Supposedly, as long as I keep ballast off the points, this unmodified switch should be fine. But I don't want to install the switches and then be modifying them in place a year from now. Has anyone else used power routing switches without powering the frog with a DCC layout?

-- Tony Zupcic (azupcic@comcast.net), March 08, 2003

Answers

Tony,

Sorry, but my web page speaks the truth. Oxide build-up on metal is an unavoidable fact of nature. Sooner or later, your turnouts will start failing. I can't tell you when. It may be several years. But sooner or later, you will wish you had followed the advice in my web page. Also, as my web page states, if you wait until the oxide has built up, rather than when the turnout is new, it will be MUCH harder to solder wires to it.

Anyone else who wants to jump in and make Tony feel better than points make lousy power pick-ups, please do.

Allan

-- Allan Gartner (bigboy@WiringForDCC.com), March 08, 2003.