Wiring basics?

[Boyd]

I tried to feed 14g stranded wires into lockons and found it was a slow losing battle. Went and bought 1 each red and black 100' rolls of 14g solid copper wire. Goes into lockons much easier. Also bought 3M quick connects that I just noticed are for 16 & 18g wire. Ugly pastel blue in color I sure don't want to be looking at them every 5 feet along the tracks. I either am going to find some other quick connects/splicers or will just run the solid copper 14g from lockons to the main 14g stranded wires and wrap the solid 14g around it and tape it. Do I really need to solder them? I sure would love to make this quicker by using quick connects but I have heard that in automotive application that they are not reliable long term. I could always wrap them with electrical  tape now that I think of it.

[eZAK]

Boyd,

What I'm talking about is providing power at the entrance of the switch and on each exiting leg.

Some switches, like your Ross, may not be wired to carry power through the switch. While others, such as the Lionel's maybe using the isolated rail for non-derailing.

This is why I have a drop before and after each switch. 

[Boyd]

??? Put a drop on all 3 sides of a switch????

What does that mean? 

[eZAK]

Boyd, your on the right Track!

I would alternate your lock-ons to each side of the track,

Use Scotch-loks & 18awg for your drops,

Put a drop on all 3 ends of a switch,

14 rd, hot, center rail to 'A' post, - bk gnd, both out side rails to 'U' post.

[Boyd]

No TMCC or DCS. The section I'm working on is the beginning of the yard and its about 11x3. Another section above it of the same size but with less trackage. Main part of the layout is 4'8"x11'.

[lionelsoni]

Boyd, your proposal sounds very reasonable.  The 14-AWG wire itself is a bus; so I'm not sure what you mean by "bus", perhaps a terminal strip?  The wires from the bus to the track are taps and can safely be smaller than the bus wire, perhaps 18 AWG, if they are only a few inches long.  You don't need to insulate the soldered connections if you don't want to.  After all, the entire track is exposed and the voltage is not dangerous.  You can keep the connections from touching each other simply by staggering them along the bus.

I suspect that you don't really have a "positive" wire and are using AC from a transformer.

[kpolak]

I agree with Wes on the remote systems, and loops.  I would still create a closed loop (connect both ends of the (+) and both ends of the (-) to the transformer) for conventional.

Your wiring method seems to be very compact, will be easy to tuck under the track, and will work just fine.  I have tap splices on 14ga solid wire.  No stripping or splicing, and easy to install.

Kurt

[Wes Whitmore]

Is all of the track on one loop?  Any parking sidings?  Planning on running TMCC or DCS?  Wiring patterns differ between the two.  From what I have read, TMCC likes a loop bus (which is just the 14ga red and blue wires with jumpers off of it to the lockons), where DCS installation prefers you to bring all the lockon runs back to one common distribution point.  I think size has a lot to do with this, and it probably wouldn't matter on a smaller layout.  Many people use Scotch brand wire taps for the jumper lines off of the main bus because they are easier than soldering, and faster.

Wes

[Boyd]

Well its wiring time on the Bedroom Centrall RR. North lower section laid with roadbed and lockons every 6 sections or less and on all 3 sections coupled to each switch. 2 Lionel 042 remote switches and one manual Ross Custom switches. Wiring in this section will be on top of plywood next to track. If you saw it you would understand. I have 100' rolls of black and red 14 gauge stranded copper wire. I'm thinking of running main wires along the track and then removing plastic insulation where wire is next to lockon,, soldering and covering with electrical tape basically a jumper wire to the lockon,, red going to center rail and black to outer rails. Red is positive, black is ground. This section starts as one track and spreads into 4 tracks towards the yard like fingers at the end of your hand. 2 or more switches will be added down the road. Should I buy what I think is called a "bus" for wiring? Any other hints? Keep it simple as my mind can get lost on wiring pretty fast.