I am going to start building a simple layout soon. I will have a few track switches that i will need to wire. I heard you would want to use a 20 or 22 gauge wire. Is this true? Would a 18 gauge wire be ok? Would you wire each of the positives of the switches a different color and use the same color for the negatives? Thanks. Any info would be great in this area.
love any kind of train
With wire, the larger the number, the smaller the wire. If #22 is enough, #18 will be more than enough.
I don't track your, "Positives," and, "Negatives." Twin-coil machines (Atlas, RIX, old KTM) have two coils and three connections which I identify as, "Normal, Reverse and Common." Tortoise and other stall motor machines have two connections that are powered continuously - reversing the polarity reverses the switch point position. You can use color coding if you wish - as an old aircraft type I route wires between terminals on terminal blocks and give each one a unique alphanumerical code. That way you don't have to call a halt because you just used up the last of your passionate purple wire. The code next to the terminal doesn't care what color the wire is.
One thing which I cannot suggest strongly enough. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! That way, if something suddenly stops working you can look at the schematics and terminal lists and determine where to start looking for the problem.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with thoroughly documented electricals)
I use 4-conductor telephone wire for my turnouts, both twin-coil and Tortoise. My layout is of "moderate" size, and with distributed control panels, none of the wire runs are more than about 10 feet in length. I use a Capacitive Discharge system for my twin-coils, which provides a better voltage "kick" to the switch machines.
The telephone wire is color-coded, and I always use the same colors for the terminals. The blue wire is the "straight through" path, the orange wire is the "divergent" path, and the blue-white wire is the common lead. The orange-white lead is not connected, so I have a spare if I ever need one.
The phone wire you get may have different colors. I shopped around, and found that 4-conductor phone wire from Home Depot was cheaper than ordering 3-conductor wire from an electronics place. Note that they sometimes label the 4-conductor wire as "2-pair."
When they get back to the control panel, all of the lines look the same. I use small string-tags from the hardware store to label which cable goes to which turnout. When I finish wiring a panel, I use cable ties to hold the bundle of cables together. This makes the job a bit neater, and provides some measure of protection from snagging the wires when I'm doing additional wiring.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
bakerboy2008 I am going to start building a simple layout soon. I will have a few track switches that i will need to wire. I heard you would want to use a 20 or 22 gauge wire. Is this true? Would a 18 gauge wire be ok? Would you wire each of the positives of the switches a different color and use the same color for the negatives? Thanks. Any info would be great in this area.
You seem to be running two similar threads here?
As mentioned in the other thread, #22 gauge feeder wire is fine. No need to go to heavier #20 or #18 gauge wire for feeders. However, use #14 gauge wire for bus wires.
To maintain proper polarity, it is best to use 2 different color wires, one color for the inside rails and another color for the outside rails. As you fit the switches (turnouts) in line with the rest of your track, the same polarity will be maintained whether or not you drop feeders from your switches to the bus wires. The rail joiners will maintain electrical continuity around the layout, just be sure to use enough feeders to maintain continuity.
Hope this helps.
Rich
Alton Junction
I used 20 and 18 gauge without any problems. I also use velcro ties instead of the platic cable ties that way you can add or remove wires without cutting the ties.
I use the Atlas turn out and the switches they provide with them. I like using bell wire,wire that is used for door bells. It comes in a roll of 65 ft at Homedepot for about $5 it has red and white wire and is solid core so it is a lot easier to bend to go around the screws for the switches. Since Atlas has 3 wires for the turn out do end up with an two of the same color