Using slide switches with Setrack points

[Chester 009]

As per pages 39 and 40 of the current OO9 Handbook, I have used slide switches to control power to the frogs on Peco medium radius electrofrog points, and attaching the feed to ONE of the rails beyond the frog (these points lack the already connected wire to the frog itself that PECO fit to the large radius electrofrog points). This has worked well, and proved much more reliable than trusting the points alone to act as switches for the power feed to the frog and rails beyond it.
However, I am now contemplating a very small layout that is only possible if I use the small radius points that are only available as dead frog. My query is how do I connect the switch for this kind of point? This in not discussed in the relevant chapter of the Handbook.
My suspicion is that I would have to connect a lead to BOTH of the rails beyond the frog. Has anybody else tried this with dead frog points? I don't want to trust the switching to the points alone.

[B.Meldon]

I would strongly recommend against using the dead frog points.
Sadly you will find that some locos will stall on the plastic frog at slow speeds. Older chassis and those that have had some ware are worse than new modern chassis, but even with the modern ones you can still get problems.
The medium radius electrofrog  points are indeed 38mm longer, the 009 Y point is 24mm longer but with care they both can be cut down a bit. The Y point is 18-inch radius so is also not so critical regarding couplings locking on reverse curves.
Another option could be to try and find one of the pre-1980 electrofrog Peco 009 9-inch radius points. These were made from 1975 to 1980. However, these are still 15mm longer than the dead frog set track points at 102mm and are very hard to find now.

[Robin Webster]

On the other hand you could attempt to make your own turnout to fit the spot.
Patience is required, but rewarding.

Robin.

[cp.409067]

*

I entirely agree with Brian Meldon's remarks above advising against the use of dead frog points.

The debate as to the difficulties or otherwise of using dead frog points is an ongoing and longstanding one, and reference to this thread on the NGRMonLine forum may be helpful.

https://ngrm-online.com/index.php?/forums/topic/27852-peco-00-9-set-track-points/#comment-713333


CP

[Chester 009]

Thank you for all the helpful replies.

All my locos are PC-printed kit bodies on the Kayo 11-109 4 wheels chassis, and I have experimented running these on a piece of track with one rail insulated using a 20 mm wide bit of masking tape. The loco passes this at a slow speed without any problems, but perhaps some much more expensive chassis with shorter wheelbases may not.

My query arose because I want to build small layout whose track plan is only possible with the small radius points - I have used the medium electrofrog ones with slide switches on my current much larger 900x450 mm layout.

I have an old Peco catalogue that shows a small radius 'unifrog' OO9 point as being 'available soon', but this was only a tease since a recent email to Peco was replied to with confirmation that it never went into production.

[JulienW]

The Kato chassis you mention has some advantages in that it is compensated (it has some 'suspension') which helps pickup and also has a long wheelbase which should bridge the dead section in the small radius 'set track' points from Peco, whereas something like a Bachmann Quarry Hunslet with its much shorter wheelbase might struggle.

I have heard of some people using conductive paint on the frog of the point to make it live, but the drawback is that you'll need to repaint it as some of the paint will be removed each time you clean the track.

Personally I'd have a go at building your own points. This isn't as hard as some people will make out as soldering rails to the copperclad sleepers is no harder than soldering a wire to a rail and by using track gauges putting all the bits in the right place is made much easier.

There are also a set of pdf templates available that were drawn up by Keith Angus. If you would like a set drop me an email (heritage@009society.com) and I'll email them to you as soon as I can.