Unless you have DCC, block wiring is the only way. I had a block wired 16 x 20 ft layout and now a 6 x 9 that is DCC. Personally I think DCC is the way to go.
There are a couple gents on here who have sizable investments in DC brass so to convert it would be cost prohibitive. That would be about the only reason I wouldn't go DCC.
Do a search on DCC and check it out.
MM
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Block wireing in which the track the engine is on can be turned off is the way my layout is wired. I'm DC not the new DCC.
DCC I guess it's the way of the future and if you are just getting started might be the way to go. Do some research on the many systems out there. My self I'm going to stay DC.
Check out the beginners guide on the NMRA site http://www.nmra.org/beginner/ which includes a section on wiring. Also under articles on MR's page is a section on Controls and Electrical.
Basically you use two power packs with throttles. You separate the track into separate blocks and use toggle switches to switch them between the two packs. By having your trains in seprate blocks with one connected to one power pack and the other connected to the other power pack. As each train enters a different block you switch the toggle for that block to the trains power pack. With rotary switches instead of toggles you can have more power pack and thus control more trains/
Main limitation of the DC block method is you can only have one train per block and you're constantly having to throw the toggles or rotary switches. None the less, many layout have been successfully operated over the years this way.
DCC uses decoders in each locomotive which are communicated with thru the wiring and track. Voltage on the rails is constant and the decoder supplies as much to the motor as set by the operator. This makes it easy to wire. Since each decoder has a unique address one throttle unit can set the speed in the first locomotive and then be changed to a different address to set speed for another locomotive.
Main limitation of DCC is expense - the initial set up of power supply, command station, booster and throttle is more expensive than two or three power packs, each locomotive requires a decoder and each operator needs his own throttle. Starter units can be cheaper, but these may not scale up if the layout grows and may lack some features or conviences.
Enjoy
Paul
I noticed that you're in Iraq. Thanks for your service and sacrifice on this Fourth of July. Our continued independence and freedom depend on people like you. Let your buddies all know we're thinking about them, and we want every one of them back home safe and sound.
When I was much closer to your own age, I ran DC. I did have everything wired so that I could run only the engines I wanted, and the others were on "dead" sidings or turntable stub tracks. Now, I've gone over to DCC, and I couldn't have made a better decision. The engines sit there idling, and if you've got sound, you'll hear the occasional hisses and clanks of an idling engine.
With DC, you run the track. With DCC, you run the trains. That about sums it up for me.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
ffmurphy81,
first of all, take care of yourself to return safely from your post in Iraq - my blessings to all of you guys down there!
As most of the posts in this thread state, DCC is the choice for you. You do not only run the loco instead of the track, you have more options, when it comes to performance and sound. For me, sound is of utmost importance - it is the dimension that had been missing in the past. With a sound-equipped loco, even a small switching layout brings you close to the real thing, makes you feel like a real "hogger" in the cab of that yard goat!
ffmurphy81How can I have more then 1 Engine on the layout without it being turned on? Meaning if I have an engine sitting at a ststion how can I run another one on the same layout...
You've received some good advice that mostly assumes that you want to have two engines running independently on the layout at once. But if what you want is to simply to park one engine, turn it off, then run a second engine, there are some simpler methods with traditional DC.
One of the easiest is to use insulated gaps in the rails to make the sidings or spurs where you'd like to park engines. Feed these with their own set of wires from the power pack, passing one (or both) of the wires through an electrical toggle switch that allows you to break the circuit.
Then simply drive the engine into the isolated spur, turn off the power to that spur, and you'll be ready to turn the power on for another isolated spur where you've parked a second engine and run that engine for a while.
You can even simplify this a bit by using what are called "power-routing" turnouts (track switches) along with the proper gaps. With that method, simply throwing the turnout from one position to another isolates the spur. That's a little more complex to describe in words only.
If you are planning to use traditional DC contol for your layout in the longer term, a good investment would be Andy Sperandeo's book Easy Model Railroad Wiring. It explains these ideas, block wiring (which is needed for running two engiens at once on the layout with DC and a seocnd power pack), and many other helpful topics, IMHO.
Best of luck, thanks for your service.
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These are insulated rail joiners.http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/product_p/atl-552.htmThey are plastic instead of metal. You use them to electrically isolate parts of your track. You put these on your sidings or other sections of track and run power wires to those sections with toggle switches in line to turn the power to those sections on and off.If your just starting out, go with the new DCC systems. You don't have to mess with any of this with DCC. An entry level system will run about $125 and around $20+ per loco for the decoder board.They are MUCH more fun!