Too Many Wires to Attach

[pucci]

I have started to build a postwar Lionel layout for my grandsons but as I add accessories I have found that the number of wires to hook up has obviously outgrown the terminal posts available. I thought that I might be able to find some product that has a single lead wire to the transformer terminal with a number of branches to which I can attach the accessory wires as a solution. I am in Canada and have not found such a product yet, or perhaps I am looking at the wrong thing or explaining it badly. Perhaps there is a simpler or other method to solve what I guess is a fairly common problem. Can anyone help me.

[richhotrain]

You are probably looking for what is referred to as a "terminal block".

Here is a sample:

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/475-TB4

Rich

[Phoebe Vet]

Actually, you probably want this:

It also comes in a smaller size.

 

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/507-501020

[Paul of Covington]

   Go to an electronics parts wholesale place.   They call themselves wholesalers but most will sell to anyone.    Also try Radio Shack.

[rockn77]

I used the MTH terminal block for my Christmas layout... it comes in 12 or 24 posts... made it real handy for the accessories.

[lionelsoni]

The terminal strip that Rich showed you is more specifically referred to as a "barrier strip" and informally as a "Jones strip".  There are also buses made to tie all the screws on one side together, which is what you will want to do for your purpose.  However, it is very easy simply to loop a bare wire around the barriers from screw to screw to accomplish the same thing.  Another accessory is a "fanning strip", which holds a bunch of wires together so that they can all be inserted into the barrier strip at the same time and always in the same order.

[Penny Trains]

I buy terminal strips at Home Depot.  I wire them to one set of wires each headed for the transformer.  Both of my holiday layouts use 3 strips each of varying sizes and all of my accessory wires (jumpers) have crimp-on spade connectors on each end.  I also have many of my large buildings wired with a pair of main terminal posts on the rear for connecting to the grid, and one pair on each end for street lamps.  I make the posts with brass #6 or #8 machine screws with 2 washers and 2 nuts.  As long as everything is wired in parallel it works like a dream.  And it's a lot easier from one year to the next.

Becky