Can someone explain how to wire this layout??? Please I don't even know where to start!
The turnout are Code 70 Sinohara and I'm aiming for DC with DCC in the future.
Thanks
ok its not showing up so heres the link to the picture
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2948301660054931476aphEpU
AceOne wrote: ok its not showing up so heres the link to the picturehttp://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2948301660054931476aphEpU
You have to hit "Enter" after posting a web link to make it clickable.
Thanks Tom. Any Takers????
I tried to mock wire it and didn't work so now I'm looking for advice
Little bit of looking around, and it appears that webshots doesn't allow for you to link to photos hosted there...? I'd reccommend photobucket or railimages to allow linking to photos (so you can embed them into posts here).
Anyway, since there's no reversing sections to be seen (you can't have the loco facing the opposite direction on the same piece of track without help from the 0-5-0 switcher (AKA your hand)) - simplest way would be wire feeders to "Track 1", the psuedo turntable (forget the correct name at the moment), and the track behind the flour mill... Take red and black wire (or colors of your choosing) and wire one color to one rail and the other to the other (make sure the red is always on the same side, shorts are bad); then take the red wires and connect them to one lug of the powerpack. Do the same for the black.
With the size of the puzzle (least it looks like a switching puzzle), I'd say that's "enough" feeders to get running, though it would probably be a good idea to power every siding...
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
I take it you're only ever going to use one DC loco at a time on this small layout? If so, then just wire the whole thing as one big block and be done with it. This will make a later conversion to DCC a snap.
Personally, what I would do is get some 20 AWG or 22 AWG feeder wire in two colors like red and black (fairly standard in this hobby). Also, get a terminal strip with around 14 connections on it. Screw the terminal strip to the bottom of the layout near the center. Drill small holes in between the ties but outside the rails at each location that needs feeder wires (IMHO, each siding should have a pair of feeder wires, and that includes those two non-siding tracks that go to the swinging table). Solder the feeder wires to the rail and leave enough wire to run it towards the terminal strip (BTW, try to keep wire to 90 degree angles and run them in groups when ever possible...it makes it neat). Connect all these wires to the terminal strip (either all red on one end, or in pairs). Use cable ties to keep things neat. Now jump the opposite side of the terminal strip so that all the reds and all the blacks are connected. Run these to the throttle pack, and you're done.
Paul A. Cutler III************Weather Or No Go New Haven************
AceOne wrote:Can someone explain how to wire this layout??? Please I don't even know where to start!
This is so hard to do with words but I'll try anyway. I would put one set of feeders on the tail track at the lower left. Another set at the lower left of where the picture of the locomotive is. This will require a gap just past the frog on the turnout at the far lower left. Then obviously the swinging section will need its own set of feeders. This will require another gap on the opposite side of the frog mentioned above, and then another on the top rail just past the frog of the turnout leading to the other connection of the swinging section. That in turn means one more feeder will be needed between that turnout gap and the swinging section. Finally a set of feeders to that top track isolated from the rest.
Well first of all thanks to everyone who wrote me back.
Okay so I'm working on getting a new picture up here, I wired it like I thought was described. With feeder wire to every track but then the overload light popped on and no response from the loco. However this was before I read the post from Texas Zepher so I haven't cut gaps or such. Would this solve my problem?
Texas Zepher I'm struggling with everything!!!LOL this is my first wiring exprience and for some reason I thought I could just hook up a set of wires and it would run that changed quickly.
Again thanks everyone for the help and the patience
Ace,
You have to have gaps on the rails past the frogs of all of your turnouts (switches, if you prefer) if they're all Shinohara. Those have continuous rail frogs, which means that without gaps, you'll end up with a short at every turnout with that track diagram. I have a feeling that as soon as you cut gaps, your problems will mostly go away. You might find that you need to add power feeds to certain sections between turnouts though. If so, you should be able to handle that with no problems.
Robert Beaty
The Laughing Hippie
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The CF-7...a waste of a perfectly good F-unit!
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the
end of your tunnel, Was just a freight train coming
your way. -Metallica, No Leaf Clover
AceOne wrote:I wired it like I thought was described. With feeder wire to every track but then the overload light popped on. ... I haven't cut gaps or such. Would this solve my problem?
this is my first wiring exprience and for some reason I thought I could just hook up a set of wires and it would run.
Its ALIVE!!!!!!
it shorts out alittle on the switches but I think it needs a good cleaning.
Thank you everyone so much!!!