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…...............--- Power to Running Rails Past the Frog --- Servo for Turnout Control ---

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I'll power my turnouts with a wire to the frog that will change the polarity of the frog depending on the direction the turnout is thrown. I'll also power the two stock rails even if they are tied to the rails before and after the turnout. Even though they are short I wanted to power the two running rails just past the frog area (shown to the right of the frog in the next picture.

One reason I decied to do this is because it isn't that hard if you are handlaying your turnouts using printed circuit board (PCB) ties as I'm doing. You can use the bottom side of the tie to take the electrical current from a stock rail to the corresponding running rail as shown above by the yellow and black double ended arrows on the right side of the turnout.

The tops of the PCB ties have electrical insulation gaps filed in them but the bottoms don't. Take the electrical current off the top of the tie by the stock rail and run it to the bottom side of the tie with a very thin #30 tinned wire. The current then runs along the bottom of the tie to another wire that is just below one of the running rails. The wire goes to the top of the tie by the running rail and now the electrical current has flown from the stock rail to the running rail. Repeat for the other stock rail and its corresponding running rail and you now have electrical current running to the two short running rails past the frog.

Above solder pads are put on the two ties that will be used to carry the electrical current.

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This adds about 5 minutes to building a turnout so figured not much was lost for doing it.

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