But Dave, that would require thinking ahead and planning, wouldn't it? LOL
Nice job!
Joel
Another vote for fascia-line terminal blocks, and cable runs that can be reached while sitting in a chair in the aisleway. Since I use steel stud framing for my 'C acts like L' girder construction the main girders and joists are natural wire runs, needing only short, easily removed lengths of cap strip to keep the wires from dropping out.
A very useful tool for gathering in wires that have been pushed down through holes in the roadbed and subgrade is a straightened wire coat hanger. Even when the wire is coming down in the middle of my main peninsula, it'll never be out of reach.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Woodman
I too run all my wire at the front of the benchwork. I figure about how long the feeder wires need to be and drill my holes and solder them to the rails. Later when I need to solder to the bus I just sit in a chair grab the wires and group them as nicely as possible strip them and solder to bus. My back is ok it's my bald head that keeps getting scarred from hitting things under the layout.
Wayne
Lion:
I would sure like to see some pictures of that. Both in progress and completed.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
You GOTTA have easy access to your wires at all times.
Oh, but the LION is even now planing on violating that rule. Him is going to add new signals, and the wires to and from the signals will be hung along the tunnel walls as per the prototype, and will be decorated as such. But of course, they will be connected to relay boxes mounted along the fascia.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
What about still having the wires come out the bottom but pulling them to the front for wiring them up. Either having them on the top at the edge, or have put the terminal strips on a L-girder at the front edge. That way you don't have to worry about trenches and if you absolutely needed to, someone can get under the layout.
Chris
Check out my railroad at: Buffalo and Southwestern
Photos at:Flicker account
YouTube:StellarMRR YouTube account
Woodman,
Not sure what your layout is: shelf, 4x8 or some variation. You could look at using the rail joiners with wires attached (or create your own) and just run your wires to the edge of the layout. If you have a walk-a-round, you can run your bus wire along the outside edge just under the plywood and attach your wires then cover that with fascia (easy access). Shelf layout would be very similar, run your wires to the edge, run bus wire along the front and cover with fascia.
BroadwayLion Phoebe Vet All of my connections are made on swing down boards, hinged at the top, at the front edge of the layout. LION likes your fold down patent. Him thinks he can build with it. ROAR
Phoebe Vet All of my connections are made on swing down boards, hinged at the top, at the front edge of the layout.
All of my connections are made on swing down boards, hinged at the top, at the front edge of the layout.
LION likes your fold down patent. Him thinks he can build with it.
I, too, am not crazy about crawling around under the layout. I need to take another picture of that board (there is one of those boards on every 8 foot section of the layout) because I have added block detection since I took that picture. I just removed the jumper from the rail A barrier strip and wired the BD168 in it's place. No crawl under required.
For DCC I run bus wires along the front edge of the layout using safety cup hooks (have a spring tab across the opening. I then attach the feeder wires on top of the layout and drop the ends through a hole to the under side. Sitting in a rolling desk chair at the front of the layout I bring the wires to the edge (make a hook for wires far from the edge) and use suitcase connectors from 3M to attach them to the bus. You could do a similar thing for DC using terminal strips, etc. You could also do accessory/turnout control wiring the same way.
Good luck
Paul
Hi!
May I go against the grain here a bit..................
I would seriously consider doing whatever it takes to NOT run wires under the foam, but feed them the conventional way thru the foam & plywood. Anytime there is a problem, you will have to disturb the scenery and foam and whatever else is above it.
Surely there is someone who can route those under the table wires to the edge for you, where you can do hook ups to buss wires or whatever.
A relative or neighbor would likely get a big kick out of helping you out, and the result will be much easier for future trouble shooting or adjustments.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
LION understands the issue. Him no longer go under layout either. SO you plan to do all of your wiring from the edge. LION uses 25 pair cat-3 cables (you can get short lengths from any installer of commercial phone systems, or leastwise that used to be the case before most telephone installations went IP.
Place the panels about every ten to fifteen feet and you may wire them from the edge of the layout while sitting on a chair. Make a small rolling workbench that can carry your tools and can plug into the wall so that you may have light and power for your soldering iron.
Here is the LION'S installation...
and...
For track power you run a 14 ga bus in the same manner. I tried suitcases, but gave them up, and just solder in a pig-tail where access to the power is required, and then several drops can be brought to it and fastened with a wire nut.
For lighting ans auxiliary power I drill a hole in the layout, drop the wires down, and then snag them and route them to the nearest panel for connection.
Recording what you wires do is a matter of simply writing the pin numbers in a book.
I presume that your turnouts will never be more than an arms reach from the fascia. LION drills a 2/8th" or larger hole under the throw-bar, centers the actuator on a Tortoise, place a glob of silicone on the face of it and thread the actuator up through the throw-bar, holding it in place for a few seconds. If you have prewired the Tortoise, you may need a stick to prop the motor in place until the silicone sets.
LION is in the process of re-thinking his signal system. If he does this he will need about 200 relays and all of these will be mounted along the fasia for eas of access and maintenance.
Do not get too carried away with all of those wires or some animal may come in and make its nest there.
Another suggestion to make repairs as non-upsetting as possible. Bring your wires directly to the edge of the layout. Along the edge, probably just under the edge of the plywood, have a box channel that you can cover when your wiring is done, but reopen if necessary. If you use a cloth curtin hanging from the facia it could be left open. This should bring all of your wire to wire connections to the edge where you can work on them and have as little burried as possible.
I would almost think that your channel in the foam need not be much. A swipe or two with a utility knife should make a cut that you could push your wires down into. A little Sculptamold or other material would cover the cut in the foam, much like covering a seam between pieces.
Just some thoughts.
Good luck,
Richard
I don't see any problem with what your planning; however, as has been suggested, you may need to gain access to connections at a later date. I would suggest marking where connections are, in some inconspicuous way; or, having a log book where the coordinates for the locations are recorded. Possibly you could put a building; or, other type of concealment over the top of every connection, so all that is needed would be to lift the cover off and there you have your connection.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
If your scenic base will be foam, cutting a channel into the foam, then covering it with styrene, which will be covered later with scenery. Just remember that anything you bury may have to be dug up again if you make changes, just like the real world. How large a layout are you planning?
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Woodman, that may work for you. You may have to "core" under other track/roadbed depending on the depth of your layout. I'm doing the same as you, that is, using 2" foam insulation board but plan on running my feeders down through the foam board using common drinking straws as a form of conduit. Your initial strategy sounds good...give it a try and let us know how it works out.
Tim Hebert
I am in the process of rebuilding my layout, I am using 1/2 plywood with 2" foam board on top, this is the same construction I used in the past. Due to a major issue with my back, I will not be able to do the wiring under the layout. I would like to do the wiring on top of the layout. Has anyone wired their layout this way, I was thinking of some way I could run the feeders and bus wiring in the foam board possibly by cutting some sort of groove or channel in the foamboard, my turnouts will be operated manually. I would appreciate any ideas on this issue.