With the recent discussion of avoiding soldering under the layout, this idea came to mind. What if I built a wiring harness (sort of) at the workbench with all the feeders soldered to the bus, and then pulled it under the layout? Building it at the bench would also provide the opportunity to install heat-shrink over the solder connections.
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Hi Carl,
I don't see why it can't be done as long as the bus wires and feeder locations are measured properly. I would test how easy it will be to push the feeder wires up from the bottom of the layout. Your hole beside the track might have to be a bit larger.
I would also make the feeder wires long enough that you can manoeuvre them into place without the bus interferring. You should also have some extra length in case the feeder joints and the holes are offset a bit. Once the feeders are up through the holes you can shorten them as needed.
By the way, my old club used liquid electrical tape to insulate the connections on the bus. It was a bit messy but not too bad. We held a piece of cardboard under the joints to catch any drips.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
carl425Building it at the bench would also provide the opportunity to install heat-shrink over the solder connections.
how do you get heat shrink over the T connection; bend the feeder parallel to the bus wire?
do you even need to cover the solder joints if they are offset from one another at the bus?
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
I guess if you measure accurately, as Dave says.
I had always intended to go back and use liquid electrical tape to cover up my solder joints, but on my last two layouts, I never did get them all (on the last layout - none at all). Never had a shorting issue, the joints were offset. Even if the feeders came down parallel, I just connected on a couple of inched one way and the other a couple of inches the other way. Even if the bus got pulled tight, no way were they two bare spots going to touch. And in places where there were multiple feeders close to one another, like around a turnout where I had 3 sets, they all were soldered to the bus at the same spot, not 3 sets of stripped areas. And where there were teo bus runs, say by the yard where the yard had its own bus from the circuit breaker, and the main passed by it on a separate bus, they two were far enough apart that feeder connections on one had no way of touching feeder connections on the other. They each had their own holes to pass through crossmembers.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I did exactly that and it worked great. I ran the buss through the holes in the benchwork, marked where I wanted to put drops, pulled the buss wire out and built the harnness at the bench, threaded the harness back through the benchword and the drops lined up fine.
what about screw hooks behind the fascia the hold the bus. reach up and pull it down to work on and then rehang it when done, out of sight. no need to fish the bus wire thru any holes.
hon30critterI would test how easy it will be to push the feeder wires up from the bottom of the layout.
I have been feeding feeder wires up through holes in the sub-roadbed/roadbed for years. My process for hiding them requires it.
hon30critterBy the way, my old club used liquid electrical tape
Tried that on my last layout. I hated everything about it from coverage when applying to dripping to an appearance when finished that I was embarrassed for anyone to see.
gregchow do you get heat shrink over the T connection; bend the feeder parallel to the bus wire?
Yes.
gregcdo you even need to cover the solder joints if they are offset from one another at the bus?
Probably not, but I still would argue that it's best practice.
floridaflyerI did exactly that and it worked great.
lol - further support for the argument that there are no original ideas.
I'm glad to hear it worked, though.
I use hooks and other things between crossmembers, but I don;t want the wires runnign below crossmembers, I put stuff under the layout when the wiring is done and don't want anything to snag on the wires. Nothing hangs down lower than the framing, so if a box or plastic tote clears the framing, it shoudl clear all wiring as well. Even on my old layout with 1x3 crossmembers - servos don't hang down lower than that.
rrinkerI don't want the wires running below crossmembers
I also adhere to this practice. In areas where the subroadbed is on risers, I put my wiring above the joists.