Technical Corner

THE FIRST POWER FRIENDLY, DEAD FROG TURNOUT?

A magazine that I have not read is new material for me, regardless of the date on the cover.  I have been downsizing a bit, and that includes eliminating some magazines gathered over the years.  More recent magazines are summarily disposed of in bulk, older magazines are browsed quickly and then into the recycling bin they go.  Really old magazines get a closer look as I am searching for interesting structure articles for the NMRA AP Structures Certificate.  Some tear sheets are set aside for computer optical scanning or physical storage.  

The bold “Jack Work Builds Better Turnouts” banner on the front cover of the April 1963 Model Railroader caught my eye.  Jack Work is a legendary modeler, and I browsed the article several times before details in the drawing on page 46 piqued my interest and provoked me to carefully read the accompanying text.   Work stated, in part, “… I don’t wire my turnouts in the conventional manner.”  

To document what may well be the first mention of ‘power friendly’ and ‘dead frog’ turnout construction, I am copying one small drawing from the 8 page Model Railroader article as well as making two short quotations from the text.  Examining the figure will reveal the electrical connections and rail gaps that caught my attention.

The drawing includes several numbered features - those near item 6 are what caught my eye.  There are gaps in the point rails, and the point rails are wired to the closure rails.  The points are always at the same polarity as their adjacent closure rail.  This is what makes a turnout ‘power friendly.’  

Traditional power routing turnout construction Jack Work mentioned had both points and the frog all electrically connected together.  This meant that the open point would be at the same polarity as the opposite closure rail.  If the check gauge of a wheel set is a bit under the minimum or the point span a bit over the maximum, the back side of the wheel’s flange may touch an open point and cause a momentary short as the wheel passes through the switch points.  I have known of ‘power friendly’ point wiring for a long time, but now it can be said that the first recorded description of the same may actually be this Model Railroader magazine article from April 1963.

The article goes on to describe 4 ways the turnout in the above drawing might be wired.  Of the four, the article states “Surest method - the isolated-branch method just outlined leaves the frog area unwired.  This is okay only if engines can get across the unpowered frog without stalling.”  Let’s emphasize this;  Jack Work stated the obvious that the unpowered frog arrangement “… is okay only if engines can get across the unpowered frog without stalling.”  That is obvious, and simply states that dead frog turnouts are not a be all and end all for every bit of model track work or for every modeler.  They were not then, and they are not now.

A modern version might look something like the above.  The gaps would be placed to minimize the length of the unpowered frog.  The gaps numbered 7, 8, 9, & 10 in the original drawing would not be present. The stock rails would be hard-wired to power the diverging rails resulting in an ‘all routes powered’ configuration.  With all rails powered and the frog isolated and not powered, the turnout becomes simply a mechanical route selector, and the only electrical concern is keeping the rails clean for good power pickup.  It seems that an ever increasing number of modelers are finding this quite adequately meets their needs, and does that while simplifying wiring as well.

So there it is, perhaps the first recorded documentation of a power friendly, dead frog turnout.  Model Railroader magazine for April of 1963 had the article, written by legendary modeler Jack Work.  And, it was not an April Fool’s story - indeed, fifty-two plus years ago.  Who said “There is nothing new under the sun?”

Rex G. Beistle

Submitted for publication by the Rocky Mountain Region of the National Model Railroad Association.

This original work is donated to the NMRA without expecting compensation of any sort.

If this is published by any other NMRA body, just give me credit.

EDITORS NOTE:

In late June, Rex suffered a heart attack - as he wrote " . . .my heart stopped in the ER and the wonderful people in Longmont United Hospital brought me back and saved my life.  I had a stent implanted to open the more than 90% blockage and my newly gained cardiologist says my heart has beaten correctly every beat since then.  Other significant changes are also taking place in my life, making stuff unpredictable."

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Rex as he continues well along on the road to recovery.