Good Morning,
Its been awhile since I have posted on the forums, but still have been working on the layout.
I have my Mainline wired and broken down into four blocks.. that had been for awhile, and now it it time to bring power to my main yard tracks and sidings. Am I right in thinking that I can run feeder wires from the main power line to each track or do I feeder wires from mainline track to each track?
I was experimenting yesterday with alligator clips yesterday, and it felt like my power booster for my NCE was getting warm....
any and all advice is appreciated...
Mike
Are you using the four blocks as separate power districts with their own circuit breaker protection? I would add another power district to take care of the yard, so if you get a short caused by something in the yard it will not stop anything running on the main.
I have a circuit board that is broken down into four sections ( bought it year ago when I got the NCE) If there is a short circuit and light will go on one of the sections where it is occuring..
As Howard Stern's father said " I told you not to be stupid" but I am to ask...
If I change one of the power districts to the yard.. how will the power get to the tracks?
I presume you have a bus feeding power to the four mainline blocks? Tap into it, take that power to a breaker board for the yard, then feed that to the yard tracks. Basically, each track needs a pair of feeders. If your turnouts route power and are gapped, then you just solder the feeders to each track. Each yard lead will also need power feeds and gaps, the extent depending on which turnouts you install.
If you want to kill power to any of the tracks, you only need a switch in one of the feeders to that track.
BTW, the NCE booster will feel warm to the touch under normal operating conditions. It's internally protected and will shut down power output if something is wrong.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
streettrains Am I right in thinking that I can run feeder wires from the main power line to each track or do I feeder wires from mainline track to each track? I was experimenting yesterday with alligator clips yesterday, and it felt like my power booster for my NCE was getting warm....
Am I right in thinking that I can run feeder wires from the main power line to each track or do I feeder wires from mainline track to each track?
Feeder wires connect from the bus wires (main power line, as you call it) to the track rails, not from track to track.
Using alligator clips is not the best way to secure wires. They should be soldered.
Rich
Alton Junction
Maybe you can realign the main districts down to three and use the forth to feed the yard trackage. The yard should be on a seperate district all its own.
Adding track to your layout does not make your NCE "work harder". Is isn't the amount of track that is the important factor, it's mainly how many locos are you running at one time and how much power those locos require that may tax your power source.