One section of track on my DC layout, which serves as a siding, is gapped at each end (on the south side) and wired to a SPDT toggle switch so I can pause or park a train there while another passes by on the adjacent mainline.
If I add feeder wires from the main power supply bus wires to that section to improve current flow, will that at all interfere with the pausing/stopping function of that section of track? Or, am I good to go?
Thanks!
Good to go!!
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Hi Mel,
Doesn’t it depend on where the feeders are coming from? If the feeders are coming off of the main power supply wouldn’t that bypass the toggle switch? Wouldn’t the feeders have to be routed through the switch too?
I’m no expert on DC (or anything else for that matter) so I could be out to lunch here.
Dave
Good point, Dave and one I should have mentioned. The feeders will come off the bus wires (main power supply).
Hi Kerry,
The purpose of the toggle switch is to interrupt power to the siding. If the feeders are coming from the main power directly to the siding then the switch will have no effect because the siding is still connected to the main bus regardless of which way the switch is thrown.
If you run the new feeders to one side of the toggle switch, and then from the other side of the switch to mid way down the siding, the track should be isolated and fed properly. It might be easier to use a DPST switch so that you don’t have two wires on the same switch terminal, but electrically it shouldn’t matter.
At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it![swg][(-D][(-D]
Dave
I guess I didn’t under stand the question. The track power has to go through your switch, bypassing the switch does just that. I assumed you were going to run the additional feeders from the same wires from the switch to help eliminate some power drop.
Unless the siding is quite long I wouldn’t worry about a voltage drop. You could solder the joiners in the siding which would most likely carry more than enough current, probably more than the feeders. The rails are probably much larger than your feeder system.
EDIT:
As you are running in DC mode you could use a DPDT center off switch wired for reversing and add the ability to reverse the direction on the siding without disturbing the mainline. Forward-Off-Reverse.
Mel
Why do you think you even need additional feeders?
How big is your layout? Do you have any other blocks than the one parking siding you described?
Do you solder any/all of your rail joints?
I have built several large DC layouts with verious cab control systems and had blocks as long as 50-70 feet and never found any need for addtional feeders or any kind of track buss wiring.
I have a trottle buss for each throttle, but that is different and is part of the multi train wiring, not done for current flow or voltage drop.
I do solder all my rail joints within each control block.
Sheldon
I’m going to buy about $250 worth of wire feed track connectors.
I’m a heck of a welder. But when I soldered track as a young buck I always melted the ties.
I’m going to put wire feed connectors on every track joint on my whole layout with No Ox Especial ID conductive lubricant applied in every joint.
This should work good, Overkill is my middle name[(-D]
TF
Don’t do that. Buy regular rail joiners, and some wire.
Make them yourself. There’s no ties to melt soldering a piece of wire to the bottom of a rail joiner. That Atlas charges as much as they do for a single pair of terminal joiners borders on criminal, especially since the wire they use is really poor quality.
Do it assembly line fashion. THere is a red and white loosely twisted pair wire for alarms you cna get at Home Depot and/or Lowes, it’s something like #20, solid. Step 1 - pull off lengths and cut them. Step 2, pull them apart into two piles, one red wire, one white wire. Step 3, strip insualtion off one end of every wire. The automatic strippers like the Idea or Klein make this go fast. Step 4, get a pack of regular Atlas joiners and cut them apart. Step 5, bend the stripped end 90 degrees and solder to the bottom of a rail joiner. Use one of those “helping hands” with the alligator clips to hold the wire and joiner. Use 63/37 solder, NOT 60/40. In an hour you’ll have a couple dozen pairs. In less than an afternoon you can make the quivalent of $250 of the Atlas ones, and it MIGHT cost you $50 depending on how much the wire costs these days. And they will be BETTER than the premade ones.
–Randy
Sheldon asks a very good question. I believe that doctorwayne, who runs a fairly large DC layout (a beautiful layout mind you), only uses one set of track feeders and solders all of his rail joints.
However, if there is a possibility that you might convert to DCC at some point in the future, then installing the feeders now as you lay the track would save you a lot of work later on.
Dave
My first question is why you’ve bothered with bus wires on a DC layout?
Like Sheldon, I solder all my track together, and power the entire layout with two wires from my ControlMaster 20 to a piece of nearby track.
Like you, I have passing tracks in every town, and DPDT - (Centre Off) switches to control both the main and passing tracks at those locations. These switches are powered off the rails of the single track mainline which runs from town-to-town (which are always powered), beyond the ends of the track sections controlled by the switches. All the areas controlled by the DPDT switches have rail gaps (I use common rail wiring, which is very simple - just like me), so no long runs of wire required, nor much under-the-layout soldering, either.
I have approximately 260’ of mainline, not counting staging yards, double track, or industrial spurs, and have run over a dozen locos at one time - mainly to amuse my grandkids.
For regular operations, most trains require two locomotives due to the many grades and curves, and some trains also require pushers. I run only one train at a time, as I am the sole operator, and therefore did not bother to wire the layout for block control.
Yes, unless you run those wires through the switch. Running them directly to the controlled track eliminates the control offered by the switch.
Wayne
Kerry
You didn’t mention the scale or size of your layout only that it’s DC.
I operate in both DC or DCC modes. My layout is an HO scale 14’ x 10’ twice-around mainline with 120’ of Atlas flex track, code 83 where it is viewable and code 100 in hidden areas.
It was originally built and configured (1988) as a DC block controlled layout with individual home run wiring to each block.
Used #19 AWG twisted pair wire (Bell Wire) from a DPDT center off toggle on the control panel. It has a total of 24 blocks, 16 blocks on the 120’ mainline. The same as what you are proposing for your layout, individual power control to a section of track with a switch.
I did not solder my rail joiners. I went with Walthers 948-841 Code 83 Nickel Silver Rail Joiners which fit very tight on the rails. I haven’t ever had any joiner connection fail in 32 years.
DC power is a MRC 7000, I bought my DCC controller in 2006. I use a DPDT relay to switch between DC and
Mel,
I’m going to buy about $250 worth of wire feed track connectors.
I’m a heck of a welder. But when I soldered track as a young buck I always melted the ties.
I’m going to put wire feed connectors on every track joint on my whole layout with No Ox Especial ID conductive lubricant applied in every joint.
This should work good, Overkill is my middle name.
TF
???
???
Kerry
Most of use solder to attach a wire to the rails, #20 to #24 solid works great. I but a dab of soldering paste on the bottom of the rail in a gap between the ties then a quick in and out with the soldering iron and it’s done. After ballasting the wire isn’t seen. You could solder a wire to the bottom of a joiner before installing it, I do that at my turnouts.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
[quote user=“RR_Mel”]
Kerry
Most of use solder to attach a wire to the rails, #20 to #24 solid works great. I but a dab of soldering paste on the bottom of the rail in a gap between the ties then a quick in and out with the soldering iron and it’s done. After ballasting the wire isn’t seen. You could solder a wire to the bottom of a joiner before installing it, I do that at my turnouts.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
TF is talking about doing what I did on my last layout - EVERY rail joiner, excpet where insulated ones were required, were power feeds. Even when the joiners and the track being connected were soldered together. I don’t solder every track joint, I don’t trust that some movement (usually the benchwork) would cause issues if every joint were soldered up tight. But, soldered or not, I feed power to them all.
TF was talking about buying the Atlas premade terminal joiners. They are expensive. I made my own, dozens at a time, by using plain metal joiners and soldering my own wire on. For a fraction of the price, and with better wire to boot. TF is afraid of melting ties by soldering feeders right tot he rail - making up terminal joiners yourself, there is nothing to melt because you make them at the workbench, and if you hold the heat on too long, the rail joiner isn;t goign to melt, and since there’s no plastic around, there’s no plastic to melt, either. So even if you aren’t an expert at soldering, you can do this, and save a ton of money.
–Randy
???
??? maybe you should restate your question [:^)]