Blueberryhill RR wrote:Chief..When are you going to start the other room????
I have a sneaky suspicion that there are Ladies clothes in the closet at the end of the tunnel opening and she isn't moving them.I wonder how Chiefie is going to handle this problem. Tunnel boring is at a standstill. He's been under the benchwork wiring for 4 days.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm ?????????????
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
ChiefEagles wrote: To lockons, 14 ga speaker wire. Son gets it wholesale in big spools. The aux power wires for switches is 12 ga solid and the 14 ga speaker wires dropped and soldered to the buss wires. To extend my switch controlers, I use 18 ga door bell wire.
To lockons, 14 ga speaker wire. Son gets it wholesale in big spools. The aux power wires for switches is 12 ga solid and the 14 ga speaker wires dropped and soldered to the buss wires. To extend my switch controlers, I use 18 ga door bell wire.
Can you clarify the reasoning for 14 ga wire all the way to the track?
I understand a KW transformer has breakers rated at 15A, and the cable needs to accommodate this, therefore 14ga, similar to a residential house circuit.
Are you using additional in-line fuses? Are they rated at 15A? Will a lower rated fuse allow for a reduced wire size after the fuse to the track? Or do the engines simply use that much power?
Thank you,
Kurt
Lots of folks use 16 ga wire for lockons or smaller. In house wiring code here, 14 ga is 15 amp breaker and 12 ga is 20 amp. Don't think layout wires are gauged the same as electrical service. All my transformers furnishing power to tracks are ZW's. They all have been retro-fitted with 15 amp resetting automotive type circuit breakers. I then test them with a short. They open almost immediately. You can hear the click when the reset. From the ZW's to the electronics [TIU and TMCC Command Base] there is a quick acting 15 amp circuit breaker box [4 breakers and 4 separate circuits] I built following OGR's Backshop video. You have to manually reset those. I have the automotive circuit breakers in the KW's [one supplying aux power to all the switches and to a few accessories the other is on standby for now]. I go for "overkill". You will see I have an electrical breaker panel right at layout.
Back from trip. More RR work to start. Did go to Hamlet NC and visit the big CSX yard and the restored Hamlet Depot and layout.
Of course there is no electrical inspector who has to approve your layout wiring; but the principles are the same for sizing building wire and layout wire. The wire size is determined by the amount of heat the wire generates from the current passing through it and the surface area that it has to get rid of the heat. This works out to a doubling of the current that the wire can safely carry, which is called its "ampacity", every 4 AWG sizes. Thus, for building wiring, 14 AWG is allowed to carry 15 amperes and 10 AWG, 4 sizes larger, may carry 30 amperes.
There is some wiggle room in this business. Some wire is allowed to carry more current because it has insulation that can stand getting hotter. Slightly smaller wire is allowed for short distances, with the justification that the extra heat can be conducted to the nearby larger wire to which it is connected. This idea can be useful when connecting the last inch or two of wire to the rails of the track. The usual ampacities are reduced when enough wires are bundled together that it becomes harder for them to get rid of the heat. And it is a matter of judgement just how hot a wire is safe. For example, the European codes generally allow approximately one AWG size smaller wire for the same current (although they don't actually use the AWG system to gauge wire).
Bob Nelson
Here's what I use for tunnel boring on my layout.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/m30_madrid/images/M30-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/m30_madrid/m30_madrid1.html&h=325&w=400&sz=45&tbnid=CzXIMLuKwvC5fM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtunnel%2Bboring%2Bmachines&start=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=1
What do you use .......................Tim
Chief,
Glad you made it back down there in one piece.
I finally read the whole post here. You guys are hard to keep up with.
Annyhow your layout is looking great!
My only question is, was the hole in the wall planned from the begining? Or was it, kinda plan as you go? I dont know if I missed it or not.
Holes in the wall, originally, NO. Wife suggested it. Was going to be liftout to get into closet and walk-in. It became part of the plan before I started building.
Update: Carpeted the bare plank [not finished flooring] floor with carpet pieces from the downstairs carpet job. Nothing fancy but floor is covered. Figured it would quiten the noise and any train falling from layout would do better hitting carpet than wood. Then built the two sections of benchwork going into the walk-in by the closet walls. Now I can do the big section and see how track will work. No switches from Miss Edna's yet.
Just out of curiosity, Chief, how many total switches are you going to have???
Chuck
Blueberryhill RR wrote: Just out of curiosity, Chief, how many total switches are you going to have???Chuck
Somewhere around 16 to 18. Most are 072 but a few are 054.
Jerry got to Miss Edna's with a driver. Seems to be doing a lot better.
Someone has made me mad. Hate loosing my temper. Gone on long enough.
Basic framing done in walk-in attic. Now trying to see if it will work with 072 curves and 072 reversing curves and switches. I need my switches. The 1X4 seen here will go in as braces. A hole between the reversing section and the back two tracks will give me access. I think it wll work fine. Reversing section will just fit with door open. Close. Without switches, it is hard to tell.
Standing in the door:
The tunnel holes:
Remember this room was nothing but bare rafters when I started. Now insulated and covered.
Chief....I am very impressed. You have done a lot of work. And you have a lot to go. But, it looks like you have a good plan. Keep us posted.
Boy !! You can say that again Chuck !! He's really came a long way in short order !! Good work Chief, & we really love the pictures !!
Thanks, John
NICE JOB CHIEF, looks like a nice layout coming. Beat carpet running?
Ran a few wires for my Hobo ville. got them working. Now to set some time this week and hook up gantry crane,787 log loader and the conveyor log loader along with the giz sawing the log animated feature.
All have a good nite.
laz57
Don
Benchwork complete. Now I need 60 more inches of straight track for each side on each loop. Also need my swithces to do reverse loop and one track to the other track change.
View of temp loops to get trains running in circles. [notice the temp protector to insure no trains accidently derail and drop though hole]
Looking through tunnel. [notice the the derail protector on the side]
The other tunnel. Coal siding has to have 072 switch instead of 054.
Looks fantastic, Chief! You've certainly done an amazing amount of work within a short time. That back room is a lot larger then I imagined. A great place to hide a relatively unprototypical reverse loop too. Will there be signal problems in there with TMCC? I'll probably be using a lot of your basic design eliments when I go ahead and build my attic layout so following you progress has been of particular interest to me. Mine will also be around the walls with a center isle. Will you be adding any elevated sections of track in the future?
Bruce Webster
Great looking project Chief!!! I wish I had that amount of room. I thought you must be doing more work....it got real cold here today!!!!!
underworld
Jon
So many roads, so little time.
LOOOKIN GOOD CHIEF. See what happens when you don't eat GRITS?
I guess it's offical - the sign tells all - Chief is off the carpet
great job Chief.
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