I havea DC layout with ten power districts with power pack dedicated to each area. I want to be able to run in any, or all areas from any one of the power packs.
I was able to connect four areas using Atlas selectors per the Atlas wiring book (page 28 fig, 4-12). However, I can't figure out how to connect all ten areas. I am not going to DCC at this time, so I need help wiring it for straight DC using Atlas selectors.
Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
My previous layout (11x15, HO, two level) and all those before had DC operation. The one I am currently building is DCC.
The last layout was run by two MRC Controlmaster 20s and had about 30 "districts". I used the Atlas Selectors and controllers to wire it so I could run with either throttle over any district. It worked great, but now that I have gone over to DCC I find DCC to be significantly better. But you are talking DC, so I won't try to sell you on DCC.
I'm assuming this is a home layout of moderate to small size (not a club or exhibition), and suspect you may have only one or two operators. If that is a good assumption, why would you want so many powerpacks? Your current wiring/power hookup is like wiring ten separate layouts. You really want (imho) to wire it as one layout, with perhaps two packs providing the power.
Check out Kalmbach's Wiring book and it will show you how to wire in two powerpacks to run your entire layout. Of course you want powerpacks with some ooommph in them, depending on the size and number of locos you run.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
crrhea I havea DC layout with ten power districts with power pack dedicated to each area. I want to be able to run in any, or all areas from any one of the power packs. I was able to connect four areas using Atlas selectors per the Atlas wiring book (page 28 fig, 4-12). However, I can't figure out how to connect all ten areas. I am not going to DCC at this time, so I need help wiring it for straight DC using Atlas selectors.
The Atlas Selectors are intended to be used to select which one of two power packs will power a given area (usually called "blocks"). Power pack A will be used to control train X on the layout, no matter which block it is in. Move the Selector slide for that block to power pack A. Power pack B will be used to control train Y anywhere on the layout, provided it is not in the same block as train X. Again, the Selector slide switches for the appropriate blocks will be set to power pack B when train Y is going to be using the track in that block.
With block control, you only need as many power packs as trains that are running simultaneously. Each power pack controls its own train. The challenge of setting up the blocks is to ensure only 1 train is in a particular block at a time. The Atlas Selectors can only select between two power packs to control a particular block. A different type of block selector is required if there are more than two power packs.
The wiring books sold by Kalmbach (this web site) will contain this information (and a lot more) in an easy to understand format with many diagrams.
hope this helps
Fred W