Mainline Railways was a British model railway brand that operated between 1976 and 1983, introduced by Palitoy, the...
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What was the Mainline Railways company?Read more -
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What is an isolating track section?
An isolated track section is a section of model railway track that is physically connected to other tracks on a layout but is electrically insulated, meaning the rails are not live. An isolating track section is one way of achieving this.
There are many reasons why you would want to isolate a section of track on a layout, the simplest of which is to keep a locomotive still at the end of a siding while driving a second into the same siding. Another more complicated reason would be when creating a returning loop where the track requires isolation in order to reverse its polarity. Whatever the reason, a break in the rails will be needed to prevent power from reaching the section.
For permanent isolation, a homemade break in the rails or the use of isolating rail joiners provides a cost-effective and easy solution, but for isolated sections that require the power being switched on or off regularly, a manufactured isolating track section is a much better option.
For all intents and purposes, a manufactured isolating track section is simply a regular section of track with a break engineered into it at the factory, the advantage being that the break is properly insulated with a specifically designed plastic moulding to the sleepers. Such track sections also feature sockets to facilitate a switch being fitted, therefore, making the job neat, tidy, durable and reliable.
Posted in: Tracks
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