Traverser

[danny]

Does anyone have experience of how to get power to the moving track on a traverser from the adjacent track so that stock can be run on and off?

[jaymzhatstand]

I have used brass tube soldered to both tracks with brass rod to convey the current and to keep the alignment on mine, there's some photos on my layout thread of how it works on page 3 I believe.

Hope this helps

Cheers

J

[B.Meldon]

It depends if you are using DC or DCC.

With DCC the traverser should be powered all the time.

With DC if I was making one I would just make the track switchable through a switch for one rail only and powered all the time on the other rail. Using common return you could have a two way switch with a centre off to change between two controllers if needed.

As to getting the power to the moving section, thin multi strand wire can usually be used provided the traverser does nor run that far. How this is done will depend on the construction of the traverser. With some good design this will last many years before the wire brakes due to flexing.
I have seen the runners used on some designs and wipers running on a metal track on others. I have also seen them powered via brass plates fixed to the traverser than slide on a flat brass plate.
The reliability of each of these is dependant on design detail and construction standards as well as cleaning any wipers and contacting plates. But all can be made to work well.

Or if using DC, as J has already mentioned it can be done simply via alignment pins.

Brian Meldon

[invercloy]

It depends if you are using DC or DCC.

With DCC the traverser should be powered all the time.

If Danny is talking about a fiddle yard traverser, then no it doesn't.

If it's a traverser for, say a loco shed, on the scenic section, then it would need to be powered all the time to ensure a loco with a sound chip would continue to emit sound.  If you're not using sound chips, then again not an issue if it's temporarily not electrified.

[Graeme Dunbar]

Though if it is a traverser in DCC then it is probably easier to power all the rails all the time and forget about switching sections on and off as there is no need to do so. Some sort of trailing lead from the baseboard to the traverser is all that is needed.

[tedp]

For a trailing lead, try to find a defective inkjet printer and use the flat cable lead to the printing head.

[Graeme Dunbar]

For a trailing lead, try to find a defective inkjet printer and use the flat cable lead to the printing head.

I was grasping for the term that eluded me this morning - drag chain or cable carrier. Ribbon cable crossed my mind, but using the bits from a printer (or scanner) is ingenious.