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elect help books

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  • Member since
    November 2007
  • 1,089 posts
Posted by BlueHillsCPR on Saturday, October 25, 2008 2:47 PM

 It depends if you are planning to use DC or DCC control.

If it's DC then Basic Wiring for Model Railroaders  should do the trick to start.

If it's  DCC then The DCC Guide may be the better way to go.

 

 

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Eastern Shore Virginia
  • 3,290 posts
Posted by gandydancer19 on Saturday, October 25, 2008 2:10 PM

I don't have any particular book in mind, but any of the "Layout wiring for beginners" type books that Kalmbach sells should fit your need.

Another thing that helps is drawing good diagrams before you start wiring, and then follow them. You probably understand what has to be done. One wire to the right hand rail, and the other wire to the left hand rail. And just make sure they never get tied to each other. In MRR terms, they call one rail the NORTH rail and the other rail the SOUTH rail. Usually the South rail is the one closest to you, and the North rail is the one away from you.

________________________North rail

________________________South rail

So as you can see, if the track went around in a circle, the north and south rails would be reversed on the other side of the circle. You just need to keep it straight.

As for wiring switches and accessories, these wires should not be connected to the track wires because they are considered separate systems. You could even make a separate wiring diagram of them.

Always start simple.  Then you can add to it.  It also helps to test things as you go along.  If something does happen while you are wiring things up and your train no longer runs, you will have a better idea of when it happened so you can gp back and un-do it.

Elmer.

The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.

(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.

  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: New Jersey
  • 82 posts
elect help books
Posted by njtaxland on Saturday, October 25, 2008 1:40 PM
hi to all and I hope that someone can help me, i am starting up my n scale layout and i am worried that no that is wrong, I know that  my elect knowledge is subpar. That being said can anyone direct me to a book that is in "laymen" terms and easy to follow and  without frying my brain. Thanks for any help that you may prvide.

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