bus wiring concept

[Stardust]

Hi,

I apologise if this has been covered elsewhere in the archives, but after trawling for a long while I am here. 

I am having some thoughts around the bus wire on my small (12x7) DCC layout.  Essentially, the layout is a 3-times-around loop with some staging and a few industry spurs.  I estimate the mainline run at around 70 feet.  The bus to supply the power will be limited to 28 feet, which will run about 14 feet from the DCC control unit in each direction.

 With the bus, I have the opportunity now to run it however I would like and was thinking:

• Run the buss through the benchwork,
• Every 24 inches, expose the core of each bus cable, and put a small loop in the exposed core, the exposed core to be offset for each bus wire,
• Drive a 2 inch tack nail into the benchwork, through the small loop in the exposed core, for each of rail A and B bus wire, 
• Run solder into the core wire to join it to the tack nail,
• Run each track feeder back, soldering to the tack nail's for access to the bus.

While I am sure that there are many ways to do this, I feel this will be me some flexibility if I ever need to change the layouts electrical system to provide for divinding up electrical districts.

Any help and thought provoking conversation is much appreciated.

cheers

[Vail and Southwestern RR]

Not sure I'm a big fan of soldering to the nails.  Everytime you solder to the nail, whatever was there before is going to want to fall off.  I think terminal strips would be a much better say of maintaining flexibility.

[retsignalmtr]

 I have been using European barrier strips to secure the DCC buss to my layout and also to rewire my clubs two HO layouts equiped with DCC. These strips are a pass through type that to not require soldering.  They come in 12 segment strips that can be cut apart easily and have holes so a screw can be used to secure it to your layout. I use 14 awg stranded wire for my buss and 20 awg for track feeders. I strip the buss wire where it passes through the strip.  I get these strips from allelectronics.com  for half the price of Radio Shacks. The're listed as 41 amp strips at allelectronics or jumbos at RS. They hold the 14 ga buss wire as well as several of the 20 ga track feeders in each segment. Doing it this way there is no soldering under my layout. On my clubs HO layout I created the new buss outside the layout on the facia so no crawling around under the layout is required. The buss is hidden from view by a cover of luaan plywood which easily removed for working on.

[Phoebe Vet]

I, too, use terminal strips.

My connections are all on boards that are hinged at the top and swing down when access is required.

I'm too old for crawling around on the floor to do wiring.

[ds137]

Another alternative would be to use a machine screw or small diameter bolt in place of the nail and either solder on or crimp on eye terminals or even bare wire sandwiched between flat washers and held securely by a nut.  This allows changes without desoldering (either accidently or on purpose) If the bolt is long enough, it can be run through any framing member and held in place with a nut and then stack your terminals or washers on top and secure with another nut.

[Stardust]

Thanks for your suggestions guys.  I have looked at the terminal strips before, but having picked up a dodgy batch from a nameless wholesaler, I am just trying to think of a different way of doing it.

 I like the idea of a small diameter bolt with washer and nuts idea.