Why stranded wire over solid?

[SpaceMouse]

I have been wiring my control panel and track with #18 solid wire. It seems to work fine. But I read somewhere here that stranded is prefered.

Why?

[ndbprr]

Like everything else things in wiring are shades of gray not black and white. The obvious advantage of stranded wire is flexibility. It is the only wire that should be used in engines and rolling stock for that reason. I have tried solid wire and had it derail engines because it retarded truck movement. However solid wire that will not require movement is a very acceptable alternative for things like control panels and bus wires.

[simon1966]

It depends who you ask!

I used solid wire myself and have no compaints. In particular, I prefer a solid wire for the feeders as it is easier to get a clean unobtrusive solder joint on the rail. The proponents of stranded wire will point out that if you nick the wire when stripping the insulation, with a solid wire you risk a complete failure of the wire, whereas with stranded you only loose a few filaments and not the whole wire.

[cwclark]

I use stranded wire when i need flexible joints in engines and rolling stock...I use solid wire on the track...it's easy to use on track..you just pull it through, (it won't break if you keep the kinks out of it) cut it, strip it, bend it into an "L" shape and force it against the outside rail, and solder it...the reason i don't use stranded wire on the track is because it won't hold it's own against the rail unless i add another step by twisting the ends so the strands don't fray and tin it with a soldering iron, and the stranded wire can break off individual strands and end up in the windings of my locomotive, or if you break off enough strands, you either A. have to renew the wire or B. your'e stuck with a wire that's now not the original gauge you meant to use in the first place......another reason i perfer solid wire is at the toggle switches..I like the kind that use screws to hold the wires to the posts...the solid wire can be bent into positon around the screw and it will stay in that position after the screws are tightened..stranded wire if it's not tinned (another step again) can have a strand stray away and actually create a short if it finds its way to another post on the toggle switch and touches it.....Chuck

[Anonymous]

Good posts - not much new to say. I've read that stranded wire theroetically offers slightly lower resistance compared with the same gauge of solid, but frankly the difference is irrelevant for model railroad applications. Use stranded wherever the wire needs to be flexible. Also consider using it for any connections that may be undone periodically for maintenance, etc. I use solid for the interiors of my control panels because its easier to thread into the solder contacts. I also use it for feeders from the track. But I use 18-gauge stranded for the bus wires so I don't have to worry about breaks if I need to push some of it around a bit for access.

[IRONROOSTER]

Everything I've read would seem to indicate that it's a personal preference thing. This forum has discussed this a number of times and the result is the same - some say stranded is better than solid because ... and others say solid is better because ...

Personally, I use solid 18 gauge for my DC operated S scale layout. It's 11x18 and I have no noticable problem with voltage drop. I find that it's easy to work with. But then I've never tried stranded.

Enjoy
Paul

[2021]

Like has been said, use solid wire for rail to bus connections and stranded for flex areas. Having said that, there is a current carrying difference - stranded wire of the same gauge has more surface area and therefore can carry somewhat more current (this is a matter of physics and engineering design). The difference may matter on a club size layout but if I were concerned I'd use a larger gauge since it's easier to work with solid wire. By the way; I use solid wire almost exclusively.
Ron K.

[mcouvillion]

Chip,

I prefer stranded that is tinned on the ends because it will flex over a long period of time and not break. Solid wire is OK for some applications (track feeders) but if it flexes in the same spot several times, the metal fatigues and it breaks. The smaller the wire the easier it does it.

To help prevent fatigue, you could use a longer piece of solid wire and coil it around a pencil or your finger to make it more like a spring. Then, it will enable it to flex a little more and be less likely to stress fatigue.

Over time, you will be able to determine which wire fits the application the best. It is personal preference, but that is driven by personal experience. You'll also learn shortcut soldering techniques that make your installations and repairs easier and quicker.

Mark C.

[jwar]

I have a few problem areas that the wires will be moved. A panel cover with togel swiches mounted and also for my swing ups and drop in spanning the two doors to the train room.

Using the same type stranded wire thats used for test leads such as your voltmeter has. This wire is made to flex and isnt that pricy. I use a ten inch splice to the togel swiches and have no problem of lifting the cover out of the way to to add more circuits. I also use the test lead type wire to make my plug in connectors to my swing up and drop ins spanning the two doors.

This question wasent asked but is importent. Keep a color code as its great for trouble shooting later on. Using one color for the south rail and another for the north rail, makes wireing simpler. If two circuits (another oval or yard) I also use different colors for each. Later on I will go to DCC and will be eas to wire cicuit breakers to the four areas.

If one changes colors on a wire run, it takes longer to trace a circuit and helps to prevent wireing in a short with the same potental to both tracks.

John