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I am running a inner and outer loop, with the only common connection point at a ross 175 dbl xover.  I am running DCS.  I have neg from the TIU to the outer tracks of the outer loop, and pos to the center track of the outside loop.  I measure ground being common on both the outer and inner loops (passes thru the 175), but the inner center rail is not hot.  I have the 175 ross ready with the DZ1000 motors.  I know that ross states that the two tracks hots are isolated.  I measure power on the center rail up to and including the alum diamond, then nothing.

Questions:

1.  Can I power the inner loop center rail by a jumper from the outer loop center rail?

 

2.  Could I create a second block of the inner loop by connecting center from the second fixed dcs channel to the inner loop?  Would I have to reconnect the grounds, or common the grounds at the tiu?  (they seem to be already common with the outer loop)  Would a train crossing over from block a to b cause a problem?

 

3.  Can I do this all without relays, and only use two dz1002 controls?

 

4.  Can I wire the controls to the isolated inner legs of the 175 to provide antiderailing?  I want to do this if I switch a train from outer to inner loop (or vice versa) and continue it around the loop without derailing when it comes to the 175 if I forget to switch it back to straight through.

 

Thanks,

Tom

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Tom-

 

I looked over the instructions for the 175M RossReady switch (below) and it seems all the wiring connections are made for you except for the diamond. Adding jumpers between the center rails on the inner and outer loops will provide power to both loops simultaneously. Alternatively you can keep thing separate and power both loops independently with separate TIU channels. If so you do not have to connect grounds at the TIU, as each channel has its own power and ground wire. There wouldn't be problems with a train crossing from one loop to the other, unless you have a conventional locomotive; if so the voltage on both loops would have to be the same to prevent the locomotive from slowing down or speeding up as if the tracks are set to different voltages.

 

I'm not sure about questions 3 and 4, but I believe the answer is yes. Ross and/or Z-Stuff should have more information posted on their respective websites.

 

Good luck!

 

-John

Last edited by AcelaNYP
Originally Posted by AcelaNYP:

Tom-

 

I looked over the instructions for the 175M RossReady switch (below) and it seems all the wiring connections are made for you except for the diamond. Adding jumpers between the center rails on the inner and outer loops will provide power to both loops simultaneously. Alternatively you can keep thing separate and power both loops independently with separate TIU channels. If so you do not have to connect grounds at the TIU, as each channel has its own power and ground wire. There wouldn't be problems with a train crossing from one loop to the other, unless you have a conventional locomotive; if so the voltage on both loops would have to be the same to prevent the locomotive from slowing down or speeding up as if the tracks are set to different voltages.

 

I'm not sure about questions 3 and 4, but I believe the answer is yes. Ross and/or Z-Stuff should have more information posted on their respective websites.

 

Good luck!

 

-John

John,

 

Thanks for your response.  The actual aluminum insert in the diamond is wired hot by ross, but only from one side (the diamond rails are not).  Also, the center rails are not connected from inner to outer, but grounds (outer rails) are.  That is why I'm wondering about creating a second block with a second channel of the tiu - will the grounds conflict.  I have the L rev tiu, and thought I heard the gnds are not internally connected.

 

Tom

Originally Posted by kgsouth:

Are you using a Z Stuff relay to turn the diamond rails off and on.  Don't think you will get an engine through the diamond with all rails hot.

Sorry I didn't see this until now - I was at the Streamliners at Spencer event all day and just got back.

 

The 175 has the aluminum diamond in the center of the switch wired hot to one side only as it comes from Ross as "Ross ready".  None of the rails around it (1 and 2 in the diagram) are hot though.  When I wire the outer loop up as the top side in the picture, all center rails and the diamond are hot, and all grounds on each side are also connected together - just the center rails and none of the rails around the diamond are hot.  I believe the Ross diagram describes how to make the opposite diamond rails hot with a relay, depending on how the switches are thrown, to allow locos with only one pickup or tight spaced pickups to get through.  I'm hoping all my locos make it through without the relay.

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