If the wiring was reversed for a block, wouldn't the common rails need to be blocked too, which is not normally done?
Yes, I expect that's correct, however, we have no idea of exactly how his layout is blocked or wired.
When I check center rail to center rail across the break I get zero voltage and near zero reistance.
When I check outside rail to center rail, across the brake, in the center rail I get 18 volts.
My system is wired like this.
I have a double mailline track running around the outside of the basement, 22 feet by 45 feet. One 22 foot end has 2 siding with switches at both ends. One long side has a long siding with switches at both ends. The switches have the center rails broken by removing the jumpers under the FasTrack swithes. Because the "oval" is so long I divided it into 3 areas, with each having its own 180W power brick through an individual TIC channel.
So the end with four lines, (2 mainline and 2 sidings), is divided into four blocks from a terminal stip.
The one long side is divided into 3 blocks. 2 mainline sections and 1 siding. The other long and short side are all mainline divided into 4 blicks off one terminal stip, 1 brick one channel.
Confused yet? Hard to put in words accurately.