wiring

I will be starting track work soon on my 1 ft x 6.5 ft HO scale shelf switching layout and need some help with understanding the difference in wiring gauges and which is best for my setup. I lack knowledge in this area and could use some help. Here is a basic schematic showing how many feeders I...

So….two months ago I ballasted my track, including the turnouts. I was EXTREMELY careful and all seemed well until now. I haven’t run trains since then but wanted to test my electrical connections again as I was planning on running trains soon. Upon testing one of the DIY DPDT toggle switches I...

I posted this on the thread I started about my micro layout but I figured posting it here would allow others to chime in who haven’t been following the build. Wiring and electrical work is my weakness and therefore I could use feedback on if I’ve designed the wiring setup correctly. I am using...

I have all of the Atlas feeder wire rail joiners drilled through and placed on the layout. Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can check the connection between the BUS and the feeder wires as I connect them together. My idea is to power up the NCE power cab after connecting each pair of...

Hello all! About six months ago, I tore down my old HO scale layout. It was a 4x8 built with the help of my Dad that never really worked. The track had been reused several times over (never a good idea, I learned) and we had made a bunch of rookie mistakes that, collectively, hindered...

It has been decades, since I last wired up a layout. Perhaps there are easier techniques or products. What do you prefer to connect the many track feeder wires to the running buss wires? Suitcase connectors? Euro-style barrier strips? Other? 1. The main buss will be stranded 12 gauge around...

I am currently making a clock that is tied to a Z scale railroad. I hope my explanation is clear: I will be using a Raspberry Pi to run the railroad once per hour on the hour. Normally, the schematic for running a motor (and that is essentially what I will be doing by supplying power to the...

I've been searching for quite some time now and am now thoroughly confused. It's almost time for me to begin wiring the my layout (which is only 6x10) but I am completely lost on how to do so. The system I have is an NCE Power Cab - which looks/sounds easy enough to set up - but then I start...

Good afternoon all. I model HO scale and my layout is entirely Unitrack. Power is fed using 10 total feeder tracks evenly spaced throughout the layout. As you may or may not know, Kato feeder tracks are supplied with 24 AWG wire. Having recently added another loco to my fleet, I am now...

I have seen many wiring schematics (sp?) (pictures) for how to wire Peco switches to their table top switch motor. They are very different from the old Tyco, model power or atlas switches. I have been told that I can use an Atlas switch control box #56 to control the Peco table top switche...

I have a small 8x8 HO Layout that I am running with a Zephyr. I have the Zephyr connected directly to Kato Unitrack. In all my DCC research, there is only mention of DCC Power Bus use with layouts and I am wondering if I am going about this wrong. Should I connect my Zephyr to a power bus and...

Those of you who have read my previous posts know that I model Chicago's Union Station. I have 6 tracks, and 3 platforms, and I was wondering about wiring. I run standard DC, and use 2 power packs, to allow for the capabilities to run 2 trains at once. I want to run all my lights, switches, and...

i have a dcc layout with atlas code 83 track and switches what is the best way to wire the turn outs i have a separate dc generator, the switches have 3 wires red,green,black how do you wire them, i know they have dcc turnouts but i cant afford the right now, maybe down the road just want to...

hello in using atlas true track i want to run a bus wire but im not sure how to do that my question is, is the bus wire a continues loop or do you just dead end it i know you connect the bus line into the controller i just don't know what to do at the end of the bus line please help, this is dcc

Total Newbee Here: Wife surprised me last spring and took me to Paris. Our anniversary is New Year's Eve. Just walked through a store and grabbed a 3' tall Eiffel Tower (very ornate metal wire structure). Figured I'd wire it up to look like the real one and throw in a "Thanks for another...

hello im new to the forum i have a few question about my layout im just getting started here goes im using ez track on a 4 x 8 table im thinking about buying the dcc bachmann commander train set and some extra track and add to it, what is the best way to wire it will i need a bus line or a...

Hi Has anyone used the HO scale Kato DCC switch machines (29099 - R, 29098 - L)? I am thinking of using them but would like to find out what others have experienced. Thanks

Well, I've managed to paint myself into a corner and am wondering how others have solved this situation: I used hollow core doors (HCDs) with 2" foam on top as the foundation of my new layout. How the heck do I attach the bus wires to the underside of the HCDs to run power all around the layout...

I've adopted CTI-Electronics computer control system integrated with my Lenz Set 100 to automate my railroad. Currently have the ability to run three trains automatically with signaling. 18 electronic blocks. Drawer was removed from layout for this rework.