Mainline Railways was a British model railway brand that operated between 1976 and 1983, introduced by Palitoy, the...
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Why do only some modellers use a CDU for point motors?
There are several reasons why a modeller may choose to use a CDU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) to provide power to their point motors, but essentially, it is because they want more 'oomph'.
Although a point motor (turnout motor) will happily operate unaided from a 16v AC auxiliary power supply, factors such as the number of points operated simultaneously or the distance between power supply and motor can influence how effective that amount of power is when it arrives. A CDU will store up power and deliver it with a 'kick' ensuring all turnouts operating from a single switch are fully changed thus minimising the risk of a derailment.
Strictly speaking, if you are operating your turnouts one at a time, a CDU is probably not required, especially if your layout is not that big. However, your circuit's electrical connections must all be good as any resistance may result in a points failure, and then you will have to break out the model replacement bus service.
Posted in: Power and control
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