wiring a room for a ho layout

[trainroom]

I'm finally going to be able to build my train room. Any ideas about wiring for a room size layout? More than 1 curcuit? 15 or 30 amp breakers?

[JoeinPA]

 I would think that a dedicated 15 amp circuit would be very adequate.  A very important consideration is to provide sufficient outlets.  As your layout expands/develops you will find that you need a good number of outlets for convenience and flexibility.  I made the mistake of not providing enough outlets and had to do some additional wiring on my back under the layout.

Joe

[dstarr]

Model railroads don't take all that much power, compared to say a wood shop or a  media room.  A single 20 amp branch will be plenty to run track power, and power tools.  It's nice to have a wall socket every 6 feet or so because the power tool makers make the cords shorter every year.  If you are running a new branch circuit you might as well run #12 wire and use a 20 amp breaker, rather than run #14 wire and be limited by code to a 15 amp breaker.  The difference in price between #12 and #14 wire is very small compared to the effort of running it.  Nobody runs 30 amp circuits in houses except for dedicated stove or drier circuits.  Your choices for wall sockets and over head lights are 15 amp or 20 amp.   Might as well go with 20.

  Think about lighting.  You want plenty of good bright overhead lights for working on the layout and looking for that small black part dropped on the floor .  The pro's have a second set of lights, concealed behind the fascia, that just illuminate the layout and leave the rest of the room dimly lit.  The new fluorescent lights have a better color than the old cool white tubes.  You might want to take a few cars and locomotives down to the lighting store and see how the colors look under the various types of fluorescent tubes sold nowadays.  Be sure to take some red items, fluorescent lights still have trouble with red. 

  It's nice to have the overhead lights on a seperate circuit from the wall sockets so that should something go wrong and trip the circuit breaker the lights stay on.  

[Allegheny2-6-6-6]

 As mentioned your not going to spin the needle off of your electric meter running trains. If your starting basically from scratch I would say one dedicated circuit for outlets and one for lighting around here I believe that code so we generally don't have a choice. Outlets are always a welcome thing to have but one can supplement them with good circuit breaker protected power strips. I have several at key locations to power switch machine power supply's, lighting power supply's etc. More important I think is your lighting plan.

Consider a couple of these things, A:  Track lighting with flood or spots to highlight key sections or structures on your layout.  B: what I call ordinary lighting, typically florescent fixture placement. The track lighting is a nice effect and very useful but for everyday stuff like when your working on the layout during construction etc. it can get rather costly and warm while using those flood and spot light. I have started changing out the incandescent bulbs for florescent replacements cheaper to run, cooler and more lumen for less watts  An important thing a lot of guys over look is the placement of lighting. You need to keep in mind that eventually parts of the floor space are not going to be accessible so plan your lighting to consider that.

I visited a very large basement layout that had the lighting of a tomb, the owner/builder of the layout had single bulb fixtures throughout the basement and what four bulb recessed florescent he did have were obstructed by scenery and or bench work. He told me changing light bulbs was a major ordeal and took as many as 4 guys to handle the chore one of whom was light enough to stand on the bench work after removing structures that were in the way. He showed me a picture of a giant foot print in the ground cover

So get your basic track plan before you start any work on the room this way you'll know exactly what you need and where to put it.

[larak]

Good advice above. Also keep in mind that you cannot dim standard fluorescents.

I suggest two 15 amp lighting circuits (Depends on the size of your room - no one asked about that) and a combination of fluorescents for economy and incandescants for dimming/night time ops.

For a large room you may discover that you need a lot more lighting than you initially planned for.

Karl

[TomDiehl]

One thing I'd recommend that I haven't seen mentioned yet, is putting a switch on the outlet circuit in the room. When you leave the room for the night, you just hit the two switches to off (lighting and outlets) and everything in the room is dead. No worries about a power supply left on and possibly overheating, or a soldering iron you forgot to unplug.

[NYC-Big 4]

Switching your outlets is a great idea.  Be careful about the amperage though.  In my area of the country most circuits in a house are 15 amps with 14 gauge wiring, except for dryers, stoves, etc.  Even appliance circuits are 15 amps but may just have one outlet per appliance (fridge, freezer, electric furnace, etc.).  To much circut amperage and the circuit will trip slower, if at all, if there is a short circut somewhere.  Case in point, a table saw only needs a 15 amp circuit.  If the saw binds the breaker will trip faster precenting damage to the saw motor.  A 20 amp circuit will allow the saw motor the heat up and burn out before the breaker trips.  Using 12 gauge wire is harder to work with but adds some added protection for overheating and does comes in handy if one decides to switch the breaker from 15 to 20 amps later.

One final note, if you would happen by accident to get in contact with both the plus and minus of the circuit, and you are sitting on a concrete floor or grounded on top of it. it's not the voltage that will get you but the amperage allowed to flow through the circuit.  If it is in a basement or garage area install a Grounf Fault Interupter (GFI) outlet in the line.

Just my thoughts and experience.

[Medina1128]

Something that was not mentioned when talking about wiring your layout to a dedicated circuit breaker: HAVE THE WIRING DONE BY A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL! If you have a fire that is traced to the added wiring/circuit, your insurance company may balk at paying for the damages!

[MisterBeasley]

Consider what you'll need for environmental comfort as well.  Will you need (or want) air conditioning?  Is the room already heated, or will you need space heaters in the winter to keep your skin from going all Smurf-colored on you?

Both heat and AC are much bigger users of power than trains, or even most power tools.  You should provide separate circuits for each.  If you're in the basement and you've got an old "beer fridge" down there, put that on a separate circuit, too.

[ndbprr]

Do you intend to build a modular layout that you will potentially take with you if you move? If you do I would put those outlets on the railroad itself.  I'd have one every four feet for maintenance and power tool usage.  Knowing what you are doing is paramount but once one is done there is no reason you can't copy it.  Here is what I would do.  I would fasten a conduit to a box with one end of the conduit open and a cinch connector on the plug end of the conduit so it could be plugged into the wall or the previous section.  Then put a box for the outlets at 4' and 8' and repeat the process for the next section.  That should give you an adquate power source subject to wire size anywhere on the layout and allow the most flexibility.  Change the railroad and you still have your power system to control it.

[Seamonster]

I'm going to be repeating most of the advice you've already received but electrical wiring has to be done properly or it can be dangerous. If you don't have the necessary training and skills to do it yourself, and by your questions I surmise that you don't, then HAVE IT DONE BY A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN. I don't mean to put you down, but there are so many rules and procedures that must be followed, called codes, that only a trained person will know them. Make sure that the electrician gets a PERMIT. This is extremely important. It means that his work will be inspected to ensure that it has been done properly. Also, without a permit, if the wiring causes a fire, your insurance company will likely not pay out.

I would not recommend 20 amp circuits. They may not be allowed for residential outlet and lighting wiring and as someone mentioned, you could burn out a saw or something before a 20 amp breaker would trip. A 20 amp breaker requires 12 gauge wire. By all means, install outlets every 6 feet as suggested. I would recommend two branch circuits for the plugs, alternating them, one outlet on one branch, the next on the other branch, etc. they should be run off 15 amp breakers with 14 gauge wire, the standard for house wiring. I would spring for the additional money for GFI protection on all the outlets. Either wire the first outlet in a string with a GFI outlet and wire all the downstream outlets off that GFI outlet, which will protect all outlets, or use GFI breakers in the panel. Keep in mind that you can have a maximum of only 10 outlets on one branch circuit.

Keep the lighting separate from the outlets. You don't want to plunge the room into darkness if you trip the breaker by overloading an outlet. As was mentioned, you'll need more lighting than you think you need. You can have only 10 lighting fixtures on one branch circuit so if your room is very large, you may need more than one lighting circuit.

The idea of having switches by the door to shut off all the lights and outlets is a very good idea. That way you can turn off all the switches when you leave the room and know that nothing can possibly be left on, like a soldering iron. If you plan to have baseboard heating in the room, it will, of course, have to be on its own 230 volt circuit and if you plan to install a window air conditioner, it will have to be on its own 115 volt circuit.

Bottom line, hire a licensed electrician and get a permit. Explain to the electrician what your requirements are and let him use his expertise to wire your room properly. Yes, it will be expensive, but it will be done properly, it will be done to code, it will be inspected, your insurance company will be happy, and you'll be happy with the results.

[MisterBeasley]

Bob gave a lot of good advice.  But, I would be careful quoting numbers.  Those "codes" he talks about?  Well, they are not internationally-accepted standards, by any means.  They vary from state to state here (Bob's in Canada) and even from town to town in many cases.  So, that's all the more reason to take his advice and at least consult an electrician to make sure it's right.  In some communities, wiring your own home by yourself might even be illegal.

In my area, houses are generally wired with 20-amp circuits.  The 12-gauge wire is what's in the walls.  If you like the idea of 15-amp circuits, you can still wire with #12 and then install 15-amp breakers.  This will give a more robust circuit.

[Seamonster]

MisterBeasley

Bob gave a lot of good advice.  But, I would be careful quoting numbers.  Those "codes" he talks about?  Well, they are not internationally-accepted standards, by any means.  They vary from state to state here (Bob's in Canada) and even from town to town in many cases.  So, that's all the more reason to take his advice and at least consult an electrician to make sure it's right.  In some communities, wiring your own home by yourself might even be illegal.

In my area, houses are generally wired with 20-amp circuits.  The 12-gauge wire is what's in the walls.  If you like the idea of 15-amp circuits, you can still wire with #12 and then install 15-amp breakers.  This will give a more robust circuit.

You're right about being careful about quoting numbers. My memory let me down and here in Canada it's 12 items per circuit, not 10. There's a national code for Canada then each province has its own variations of the national code. The U.S. also has a national code and each state, or even city, has its own variations. Yes, that's why it's best to hire a licensed electrician.

I found it interesting that 20 amp branch circuits are the standard in your area. Here, 15 amps is the standard and a 20 amp 115 volt outlet has a different configuration than a 15 amp outlet so that an appliance rated for 15 amps can't be plugged into it.

For anyone doing the wiring himself, if it's legal to do it yourself in your area, I would recommend getting a copy of the electrical code from your library and studying it. It will be very specific about the most seemingly petty things--how many conductors can be in a box, how far from the box the wire has to be secured to the stud, etc. It can be mind-boggling and the inspector will make you correct any code violations before he signs off on your permit. By all means get an electrician's advice. Another source of advice may be the permit department. When I wired our basement, I had to take a diagram showing exactly what I was planning to do to the city's permit department and the person there went over it to make sure I was doing it right and he asked me some questions to determine my knowledge of electrical wiring. They won't take the time to give you lessons on wiring or help you plan the wiring but they should answer questions like "can I do this? or "can I do that?". Better yet, pay a licensed electrician to help you plan it and do the work.

Speaking of inspectors, you may find this story amusing. I studded and drywalled the basement of our house when we moved into it in 1980. I studied the code book and did the wiring myself. The inspector passed everything except one item. The code book said that for the shutoff switch for the furnace, if the breaker panel is visible from the furnace, the switch can be outside the furnace room, if not, then it has to be inside the furnace room. Since my breaker panel is in a different room than the furnace, I installed the switch inside the furnace room. The inspector told me to move it outside the room. I argued that the code said inside the room, but he was unrelenting so I moved it. Then I sought the ultimate expert opinion. I worked for the electrical utility at the time and one of the company's employees was on the board which did the revisions to the electrical code. I asked him who was right, me and the code or the inspector. His answer was, "You're right, but the inspector is more right." Translation, even if the inspector disagrees with the code book, his decision is final and that's what you have to do. Oh well, whenever the technician comes to give our furnace its annual inspection and cleaning, I just make sure to show him where the switch is.

[hardcoalcase]

TomDiehl

One thing I'd recommend that I haven't seen mentioned yet, is putting a switch on the outlet circuit in the room. When you leave the room for the night, you just hit the two switches to off (lighting and outlets) and everything in the room is dead. No worries about a power supply left on and possibly overheating, or a soldering iron you forgot to unplug.

Right on Tom!  I made most of the outlets run through wall switched for exactly that reason.  I also left a few (placed above the switched ones) wired directly to the panel to run things such as a mini-refrig, space heater, AC, phone, etc.

Jim

[dante]

Seamonster

In my area, houses are generally wired with 20-amp circuits.  The 12-gauge wire is what's in the walls.  If you like the idea of 15-amp circuits, you can still wire with #12 and then install 15-amp breakers.  This will give a more robust circuit.

I don't believe that it is an advantage to mount a 15 amp breaker on a 20 amp circuit: it will trip on a lesser load than the circuit can actually carry safely.

Seamonster

Here, 15 amps is the standard and a 20 amp 115 volt outlet has a different configuration than a 15 amp outlet so that an appliance rated for 15 amps can't be plugged into it.

I am not familiar with Canadian practice, but wouldn't the reason for the different configuration be to prevent a 20 amp appliance from being plugged into a 15 amp circuit? After all, a 15 amp appliance should impose no danger to a 20 amp circuit (it draws only 15 amps). However, a 20 amp appliance on a 15 amp circuit could indeed cause a problem. I certainly agree that one should hire a licensed electrician, and has been cautioned, many communities require that. I also agree that codes vary with jurisdictions; however, in the US, the NFPA National Electrical Code is the usual basis, I believe.

[60YOKID]

ndbprr

I would fasten a conduit to a box with one end of the conduit open and a cinch connector on the plug end of the conduit so it could be plugged into the wall or the previous section.

I am licensed as a Master Electrician and an Electrical Inspector in Wisconsin, and I just want to say that everyone has given a lot of good thoughtful advice on these wiring issues. The only one I am concerned about is the reference to a "Cinch" connector.  I think the poster may have used the wrong term here because while the Cinch company makes many different connectors, they may be best known for producing a line of low voltage audio plugs and jacks. Of course, these are NOT suitable for 120 volt line voltage use.

The idea of mounting 120 volt outlets on every module seems good and plugging one into the next is fine too, as long as you use plugs and cord ends with correct ratings.

I will just highlight my recommendations to supliment what has already been said:

1. Room outlets can be 15A or 20A.  Trains, vacuums, and most saws, can operate on 15A circuits just fine. (My table saw will occasionally trip a 15A circuit breaker and so I just used 20A circuits everywhere in my shop and train rooms.) Wire the room with at least one or two outlet circuits. Larger rooms may require more. Most US codes ask for an outlet every 12 feet - so that 6 foot cords reach most everywhere.

2. Use a GFCI outlet for the first one in each string of outlets, and if wired correctly, it will give shock protection to all the other outlets in the string. At maybe $15 cost each, this is cheap electrocution protection!  

3. Lighting can draw a lot more energy than you might think, particularly if you use incandescent lamps to get good color rendition and for dimming. My suggestion is to use one or two (or more) circuits here too, depending on room size. I use a combination of about 70% florescent and 30% incandescent. Adjustable track lights can help put the light where you want it. And many times you don't know just exactly where you need it until later.

4. Most of your electrical usage cost will come from the lighting loads. Some of your energy will be used to heat the wiring cable. Since the resistance of #14 cable is higher than #12, the heating loss will be higher with #14. Therefore, you can save on your power bill if you wire your lighting circuits with #12. You can just use a 15A circuit breaker and standard 15A switches if you want, or even a 20A circuit breaker if you install expensive 20A switches.

5. Plugging a 15A electrical appliance or saw into a 20A outlet is OK.  The circuit breaker is intended to protect the wiring, not the appliance. 120-volt motors have their own over-current protection built in. This may not be apparent as many of them are "impedance protected".  Bottom line - 15A and 20A plugs are approved to fit into 20A outlets; 20A plugs won't fit into a 15A outlet.

6. A good licensed electrician is an investment in safety.

Have fun & be safe too!

[Seamonster]

dante

Seamonster

In my area, houses are generally wired with 20-amp circuits.  The 12-gauge wire is what's in the walls.  If you like the idea of 15-amp circuits, you can still wire with #12 and then install 15-amp breakers.  This will give a more robust circuit.

I don't believe that it is an advantage to mount a 15 amp breaker on a 20 amp circuit: it will trip on a lesser load than the circuit can actually carry safely.

Seamonster

Here, 15 amps is the standard and a 20 amp 115 volt outlet has a different configuration than a 15 amp outlet so that an appliance rated for 15 amps can't be plugged into it.

I am not familiar with Canadian practice, but wouldn't the reason for the different configuration be to prevent a 20 amp appliance from being plugged into a 15 amp circuit? After all, a 15 amp appliance should impose no danger to a 20 amp circuit (it draws only 15 amps). However, a 20 amp appliance on a 15 amp circuit could indeed cause a problem. I certainly agree that one should hire a licensed electrician, and has been cautioned, many communities require that. I also agree that codes vary with jurisdictions; however, in the US, the NFPA National Electrical Code is the usual basis, I believe.

You're right, it prevents either type of plug being inserted into the wrong outlet, but it would be more for preventing a 20 amp appliance from being used on a 15 amp circuit.

[JSperan]

The bottom line is GET A PERMIT!  Regardless of who does the work, you need a permit.

If you do not already have the skills and know the code FOR YOUR AREA hire an electrician, PERIOD!

Since you had to ask, you obviously don't know, so hire an electrician.

Unless you have some background the official code for your area may be beyond your understanding.  If you are in Canada there is a great book availalbe that simplifies the code alot.  I am not sure if there is a comparable book in the US.

Here is where the Canadian books can be found.

http://www.psknight.com/

[betamax]

I am not familiar with Canadian practice, but wouldn't the reason for the different configuration be to prevent a 20 amp appliance from being plugged into a 15 amp circuit? After all, a 15 amp appliance should impose no danger to a 20 amp circuit (it draws only 15 amps). However, a 20 amp appliance on a 15 amp circuit could indeed cause a problem. I certainly agree that one should hire a licensed electrician, and has been cautioned, many communities require that. I also agree that codes vary with jurisdictions; however, in the US, the NFPA National Electrical Code is the usual basis, I believe.

It is probably better to get a licensed electrician to do the work. The know the rules, and can provide how ever many circuits are needed to do the job.

Just because you calculated the current draw, that doesn't mean you can connect 50 devices to one circuit. Here the max is 14 (and a device is anything, including switches.) Your local codes may vary.

As to 20 Amp circuits, devices mean to be plugged into a 20A circuit have one blade rotated 90 degrees. The mating receptacle has one T shaped inlet that will accept either the usual 15A plug, or the specific 20A plug. Just there to make it hard for you to overload a 15A circuit.

Another issue is aluminum wiring. That is something the homeowner should not mess with. Call a professional to deal with that. (Only really applies to houses built years ago when aluminum was all the rage. But if in doubt...)

Here in Ontario, it is illegal to hire any unlicensed person to work on the wiring. If you pay them or not is not the issue.

[MisterBeasley]

Get recommendations for electricians.  Even thought they're licensed, and even though the work gets inspected by a town official who is also licensed, some of them are better than others.  I've had some very sub-standard work done by licensed electricians, and the inspectors never caught it.

Fortunately, all my years of debugging my own model railroad wiring taught me how to find the problems they had introduced and correct them.

Most, of course, are fine, but there are lemons out there.

[ndbprr]

I would want to consider the load very carefully before choosing 15 or 20 amp circuits.  You might want something smaller for the train control side.  If you have a 5 amp dc or dcc system hooked to a 15 or 20 amp breaker and the internal breaker or circuit fails for some reason you could get a case of magic smoke which is costly.  If your maximum load is going to fail at say four amps you want the nearest thing to it to protect the circuit and the attached components. In that case 15 or 20 will not fail until possibly irepairable damage has occured.

[dante]

ndbprr

I would want to consider the load very carefully before choosing 15 or 20 amp circuits.  You might want something smaller for the train control side.  If you have a 5 amp dc or dcc system hooked to a 15 or 20 amp breaker and the internal breaker or circuit fails for some reason you could get a case of magic smoke which is costly.  If your maximum load is going to fail at say four amps you want the nearest thing to it to protect the circuit and the attached components. In that case 15 or 20 will not fail until possibly irepairable damage has occured.

I seriously doubt that any code will allow anything less than 15 amp circuits for permanently installed wiring to the convenience outlets/receptacles. The systems for the rr that are plugged into these house power outlets should have their own circuit protection, probably built-in. I also doubt that, as said elsewhere, that switches count when calculating items allowed on a circuit because the switch adds nothing to the load on the circuit. GET A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN!!! (No, I am not one myself!)

[cacole]

 One critically important thing to keep in mind:

If you do it yourself and your house burns down, and the fire inspector can prove that your wiring caused the fire, your fire insurance will be invalid.  

[JSperan]

cacole

 One critically important thing to keep in mind:

If you do it yourself and your house burns down, and the fire inspector can prove that your wiring caused the fire, your fire insurance will be invalid.  

 

This is why it is so important to get a permit no matter who wires it.

Where I am, a homeowner can get a permit and perform wiring himself that will be inspected.  All of the work is then supposed to be performed by the home owner.  Honestly, unless you have worked in the trade, hire an electrician.

[R. T. POTEET]

Welcome to the forum!

VIGNETTE: (stick with me)

In the 1930s a secretary in the British Admiralty office did a functionary study and discovered that in about 1770 the Royal Navy had the same number of ships as it did in 1935 but it was now taking 100 times as many clerks to maintain the volume of paperwork involved i.e. eleven versus eleven hundred. He was able to document this increase in personnel staff and concluded that the reason was that as more and more clerks were added to the payroll more and more work began to be expected of them; in any corporate environment when the workload increases to where those performing that work cannot accomplish it another clerk is hired to alleviate the workload and the work expands until that staff is then overworked ad infinitum.

This secretary's axion: Work will expand to fill the time available for its accomplishment.

Now: just as sure as shootin' if you wire your train room for 20 amps down the road apiece you're going to wind up needing a 30 amp circuit. If I had a room the size of your train room I not only would wire in one 30 amp circuit but I'd exercise overkill and wire in two 30 amp circuits . . . . . . . . . . just to keep on the safe side!

[dante]

R. T. POTEET

Now: just as sure as shootin' if you wire your train room for 20 amps down the road apiece you're going to wind up needing a 30 amp circuit. If I had a room the size of your train room I not only would wire in one 30 amp circuit but I'd exercise overkill and wire in two 30 amp circuits . . . . . . . . . . just to keep on the safe side!

I don't believe that is wise. Residential 30 amp circuits might be used for 240v electric water heaters and/or possibly ovens. Ordinary 15 or 20 amp wiring devices will not work with them. Just add sufficient 15 and/or 20 amp circuits. You might need a sub-panel for the train room instead of feeding all your branch circuits from the main panel. GET A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN!!!

[Seamonster]

dante

R. T. POTEET

Now: just as sure as shootin' if you wire your train room for 20 amps down the road apiece you're going to wind up needing a 30 amp circuit. If I had a room the size of your train room I not only would wire in one 30 amp circuit but I'd exercise overkill and wire in two 30 amp circuits . . . . . . . . . . just to keep on the safe side!

I don't believe that is wise. Residential 30 amp circuits might be used for 240v electric water heaters and/or possibly ovens. Ordinary 15 or 20 amp wiring devices will not work with them. Just add sufficient 15 and/or 20 amp circuits. You might need a sub-panel for the train room instead of feeding all your branch circuits from the main panel. GET A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN!!!

R.T., you surely weren't suggesting wiring standard wall outlets to a 30 amp breaker, were you? As Dante suggests, just wire in a few 15 amp circuits. A sub panel is a good idea too. I did that for my workshop. It's got a 15 amp breaker for each of two work benches and a 220 volt breaker pair for my linear amplifier (ham radio). Haven't tripped a breaker yet. Better still, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, GET A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN!

[JSperan]

R. T. POTEET

If I had a room the size of your train room I not only would wire in one 30 amp circuit but I'd exercise overkill and wire in two 30 amp circuits . . . . . . . . . . just to keep on the safe side!

 

It's ambiguous, erroneous, statements like these that make me repeat... just like a broken record, If you don't know already yourself, HIRE AN ELECTRICIAN!

Getting advice on how to properly wire your home from an online model railroad forum is at best chancy.

[TomDiehl]

JSperan

R. T. POTEET

If I had a room the size of your train room I not only would wire in one 30 amp circuit but I'd exercise overkill and wire in two 30 amp circuits . . . . . . . . . . just to keep on the safe side!

 

It's ambiguous, erroneous, statements like these that make me repeat... just like a broken record, If you don't know already yourself, HIRE AN ELECTRICIAN!

Getting advice on how to properly wire your home from an online model railroad forum is at best chancy.

When you hire an electrician, you have to be able to tell him what you want. Most of them I've run into aren't model railroaders and probably wouldn't think of (for example) switching an outlet circuit or putting in a 4 gang outlet instead of a duplex. Plus, I'm sure he would correct you on the 30 Amp circuit thing.

[trainroom]

1. guess that's what I was really looking for. I am going to have an electrician wire the room I was wondering about number of outlets any big power draws, and things like that. I like the idea of lights on a different circuit, just in case and the switch at the door sounds good also. Thanks for the help.