Building Sn3 and N Worlds

By Stationmaster

First Frog Juicer installed

OK - this is like watching paint dry, but I thought it might be of interest - maybe not.  This is the first of several Frog Juicer Hex boards from Tam Valley that I have installed on the N scale layout.  Super simple.  The red and green wires on the right side go to the DC bus for power.  Each of the black wires at the bottom left go to an individual switch (turnout) frog - the point in the switch that connect the inner rails.  When I set the turnout to switch to a converging track, this board senses the polarity change and immediately sets the polarity in the frog to match.  It makes that change quicker than the short disrupts the train.  And away you go.  Super simple.

Since I reused switch motors from several old layouts, and because these motors do not have any easy way to change the frog polarity or power the frog, the Frog Juicer board does that with no problem.  

It would have been nice if I had just thought a bit years ago and attached a wire to the frog before installing the turnout - but I didn't.  So I do it now.  Another chance to hit my head on the underside of the layout.

But now the shorter locos do not hesitate on these frogs.

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