Does any have a diagram or intructions for wiring a Peco Code 55 electrofrog Double Cross Over for a DigiTrax DCC system?

-- William Cameron (wcameron@efasoftware.com), May 26, 2000

Answers

I recently did one of these for use on a DigiTrax system. I couldn't find a diagram or instructions specificlly for the double cross but Ican give you some tips.

Allan Gartner shows a diagram and how to modify Peco Electrofrog Switches in the "turnout' section of his web pages. The double crossover consists really of four Electrofrog swithes and a center rail 'diamond', and Allan's instructions work fine for the four- switch portion of the assembly. I prepared and wired the four switches in the cross exactly as he suggested for a regular, single Electrofrogs.

For wiring the center diamond, I can suggest an approach. Use a small bulb-type tester that lights when a circuit is closed to understand which diamond rails are electrically connected to each other. Draw a diagram of the diamond, looking from the top, showing which rails are connected electrically. Your diagram, if done in color, will look a lot like the double crossover diagram in Allan's "turnout" section. Then, imagine the various routes locos can take through the double crossover, and note how the polarity of two parts of the diamond must change so the loco makes it through. You will find that of the four tips on the center diamond, the 'top' and 'bottom' tips don't need to change polarity, but the 'left' and 'right'do as the route changes. You wire the left and right tips to the auxiliary contacts of the switch motor (I used Tortise) as if they were switch frogs, and you are done.

I used a three way rotary switch to control four Tortise switch motors.

Having said all this, it is a little time consuming to study then wire one of these - it took me almost two days, spread over a month. It's really important for you to study Allan's diagrams of Electrofrogs, and your own diagram of how the center diamond works, and understand how electricity needs to flow for the various routes to work. But they are really cool when they are done, it's worth it.

Best Regards, Greg Smith

-- Greg Smith (cggjsmith@sprintmail.com), May 27, 2000.