Best guage Wire For DCC Track Drops

[caldreamer]

What is the best gauge to use as track drops to my DCC bus?

[betamax]

caldreamer

What is the best gauge to use as track drops to my DCC bus?

 

Depends on what scale you are modelling in. For HO and N, as per this table 18-22 AWG is recommended. Most people use solid wire as it is easier to form and solder in place.

 

 

[tstage]

I used 14AWG solid for the track bus and 20AWG stranded for the feeder wires.

Tom

[gregc]

regardless of gauge, it should be solid

solid 14 or 18 would be more difficult to work with

[tstage]

gregc

regardless of gauge, it should be solid

Why?  Wouldn't solid feeder wires be more difficult to work with and align with the track bus?

[richhotrain]

tstage

I used 14AWG solid for the track bus and 20AWG stranded for the feeder wires.

Tom 

On all my prior HO scale layouts, I used 14AWG solid for the track bus and 22AWG stranded for the feeder wires. On my current layout, I used 14AWG solid for the track bus and 20AWG solid for the feeder wires.

The solid wire for feeders is easier to control than stranded wire, but if I had it to do over, I would have used 22AWG solid for the feeder wires. 20 gauge wire is to large if you solder it to the outside of the rails because it protrudes slightly above the rail unless you are meticulous in tucking in the feeder wire against the rail.

Rich

[gregc]

tstage

gregc

regardless of gauge, it should be solid

Why?  Wouldn't solid feeder wires be more difficult to work with and align with the track bus?

the OP asked about "track drops", the feeders, that are short and need to be soldered to the rail

 

now i'm curious.    when people say they use 14g wire, is it stranded or solid?   (i've helped wire layouts using 18g stranded)

[floridaflyer]

I am in the 14 stranded for the bus and 20/22 solid for the drops camp

[rrebell]

I use 22 for the drops, solid and stranded #10 for the buss and Posi-taps for the conectors (the conectors you use are very important). Never a problem and easy to change or add drops to. 

[ROBERT PETRICK]

rrebell

I use 22 for the drops, solid and stranded #10 for the buss and Posi-taps for the conectors (the conectors you use are very important). Never a problem and easy to change or add drops to. 

N scale. I use solid 22 ga for the drops and solid 12 ga for the busses. The reason I use solid busses is because it is easier to strip out a short gap of insulation and then wrap the feeder around a few turns and solder. Solid 12 AWG THHN is pretty dang stiff and hard to pull through the holes in the wood support beams of the benchwork . . . but that was a conscious decision and trade-off.

I tried suitcase connectors, but there was too large a difference between the 22 ga feeders and the 12 ga buss. I could not find appropriate connectors for that 22-12 connection, so I used 22-14, which was too tight.

Do they make Posi-taps for the above-described situation? A little late now, but there's always a need to add or modify connections.

Robert 

[wrench567]

  When I built my modules, they traveled to train shows in all kinds of inclement weather. Some of our layouts were huge with up to 100 or more modules. Reliable running was paramount. The club standard was 10 gauge stranded buss lines. On my five modules and the others I wired for club members there is four inch pieces of 28 AWG stranded soldered to every rail except turnouts. Turnouts had soldered rail joiners. And then 14 AWG stranded from them to the buss wires. Everything is soldered and heat shrink or liquid electrical tape.

  Some guys used the suitcase connectors on the buss. We had to replace and solder because they either corroded or never made good contact. The New England salt air and wild temperature and humidity swings took a toll on them. They were later banned from the module group. Solder or screw terminals was preferred.

   Pete.

[Doughless]

I'm using solid 16 awg for the bus and solid 22 awg for the feeders (drops).  I find that whenever I used stranded, I'm twisting it to form a solid, and I use slightly smaller awg than most because its easier to work with than thicker solid wire.

And I solder all of my joints, tunrouts and all, which kinda serves as another bus, so to speak.  And I power track somewhere along so that all three sides of a tunout have power.  Between bus, lots of feeders, and every track soldered, essentially, I have multiple paths for the power to flow. 

[DigitalGriffin]

betamax

Depends on what scale you are modelling in. For HO and N, as per this table 18-22 AWG is recommended. Most people use solid wire as it is easier to form and solder in place.

+1, especially if you are running 2->3 amps in that section.

Don't run the feeder more than 3ft and attach it in a 14 AWG.  This is more than suitable for most smallish layouts.  If it's a big layout, you'll need to use a voltage drop calculator.

[BATMAN]

I will use either but prefer solid as I can just tin it, hang it on the bottom of the rail where it stays put while I touch the rail with the iron. A little paint and ballast and all is well.

 

[SeeYou190]

NOT DCC:

I wire my layouts similar to what DCC guys suggest.

I use 10 AWG Stranded TFFN for my buses, 4 of them, 8 colours of wire. DCC layouts require fewer busses. I have three for throttles and one for Tortoises.

Then 14 AWG Stranded TFFN off of the main bus for distribution and control. DCC layouts would still have distribution blocks, but not controls.

Then 22 AWG Stranded "Hobby/Hook Up Wire" for the drop. If the control for the track goes through a Tortoise, I use 22 AWG there also. Total length of the 22 AWG section should never exceed 36 inches. DCC layouts would most likely not use Tortoises for power routing, and surely not for cab selection.

-Kevin