You need to completely isolate a reverse loop BEFORE the switches at either end of it - i.e. the slip switch should not be part of the loop and there fore should not complicate it.

Your loop isn't particularly "unusual" or "non-standard", it's just much larger than what is drawn in the wiring how-to examples you'll find which show the simplest possible loop.

 

What scale are you using and what brand model and
frog type are the turnouts?

The slip turnout is no problem for the reverse loop in any case.
Is the double slip power routing or power frog? Power
frog could complicate non reverse loop wiring.
And, it turns out, some are a combination of
both.

I don't really understand your layout plan but of what you
show, you would create an 'isolated reverse loop section'
by placing a gap (or insulated joiner) in both rails to the the Right
of turnout BF200 and above turnout SC102. Your reverse
controller would feed the reverse section and take it's power
from your main DCC bus. All other tracks in your
drawing would use the main DCC power bus.

What is the purpose of the tracks to turnout BF202 and beyond?

I suspect that this is but a small section of your layout.

Don

 

Hi Don and CV_acr,

Scale is HO
Turnouts Peco SL90 slip.
Powered Frog
BF202 and beyond is for future expansion to higher level. Not yet planned.I have built what is shown.

Thanks.

 

The loop that reverses is what must be 'reversed' in phase/polarity. The type of access doesn't matter. You could have a stub turnout, a regular diverging turnout, a single slip, a double slip....all that matters is that at the place where the loop comes closed, that being in two place as you show it, there must be gaps there on all four rail ends at their convergence. Your AR or whatever will get power from your bus, or directly from your DCC main component, and the outputs of the reverser will power only within the two gaps. That is, it will power only the reversed length of track, NOT also the turnout affording access to the loop.

If you elect to continue with the double slip, simply power the two entrances, top and bottom, from those ends. Leave four gapped rails at the other end. Note that, you can lay your reversed section rail ends quite close to the double slip end, perhaps as little as 1/32"...IF...you're going to limit thermal range and humidity range in the train room to within about 20% of a reasonable mean for those values.

 

Wiregauge
Check out the 102 post thread of 15 days ago "Using a double slip switch in a reverse loop"
After all that rhetoric and no perfect fix accomplished, he decided to do what I'd suggested earlier in post #19 Echo31 do; remove the D-slip switch from the main line / where it better is served..

(It, so far to date, ending with another post of mine is shear coincidence)....

All the best
🛤🌄🛤🌵

 

I think I have a better understanding now. I will experiment this week and check out those other posts.

Thanks all.

 

PS.
Since you are DCC (HO) and Echo31 is analog DC (Z scale), I will allude to the fact that although I still believe double slip switches, railroadianically, if you will, are better utilized in stub-end terminal/yard throats, your employing an auto-reverse mechanism(s) such as the AR 10, you just may be able to get away with the D-slip where it is..
Though I too am NCE, but have no experience with an AR as yet, nor with slip switches, I just thought it might work for you after all, since you are running digitally, and not analog..
My apologies to you and others. I overlooked that major electronic difference between the two of you..

 

Wiregauge

I have looked into the specs of the Peco HO SL90 double Slip.

According to the sites I visited it is INSULFROG, but is
not power routing.

SL-90 Peco / SL-90 HO Code 100 Double Slip Insulfrog Turnout (SCALE=HO

Peco / SL-90 HO Code 100 Double Slip Insulfrog Turnout (SCALE=HO) Part # PCO-SL-90

yankeedabbler.com

Therefore my suggestion for placement of the gaps in my post #3 above stands.

You state the device is power frog...did you modify your
double slip to do this?

Don

 

Yes I did. as per peco instructions

 

Does your modification to power frog protect the
frog rails from the frog current? If not, all frog rails
would require gaps or insulated joiners. If they
are protected no gaps would be needed. In either
case, the double slip would not interfere with your reverse
loop gapping procedure.

Double slips are a very interesting addition to a
layout. They make possible train movements
that would be difficult without them. They were
widely used in large passenger terminals. Photos
and videos showed trains snaking thru a maze
of tracks leading to the passenger loading platforms
using double slip turnouts.

Hope yours works out smoothly.

Don

 

Yes the frog rails are insulated from the frog.
In the coming week or so I will experiment, which is all part of the fun. I have to finish the DCC bus wire first.
Thanks for your advise .😀

 

I solved the problem with a NCE AR10 board. Wired it as pe the attached drawing. Worked perfect.