Been busy working on the train room this past week. Work still keeps getting in the way though.
This is still the goal I’m working toward. There have been tons of changes! If I counted the revisions I know it would be well over 200.
My design goals include; Two oppossing mainlines, with crossover and reversing capability. Must be able to accomodate O72 engines. Also do NOT want any “Pop Ups”, and therefore must be accessible from aisle access.
So, currently the framework is 99% complete, and the sound board has been installed.
Window on right side adjoins Dinning Room, Operating portion of layout will be as below;
Far area (with lamp) will be the Engine Maintenance and Planning area.
Don, Looks great ! But I am going to make one very special reccommendation: If those are going to be lift bridges do the wiring so the track power is cut off if the bridge is lifted. To put it in the parlence of boxing “don’t want to see da train take a dive”. [:o)]
Lets just say that it has happened a few times at the museum, not to me(yet), and it ain’t purdy. [:(]
Good Job Don. Like you, work seems to get in the way. Also have a situation with the family…doing the husband and daddy thing tends to pull one away from the trains.
Thought I tought you better!!! Seal that Soundstop with laytex paint. [;)] Good job. Keep it up. BTW: ran into a guy at Miss Edna’s that used Soundstop instead of Homasote. He is happy too and his “pockets” are not as empty too. Guy I had never seen before but has been coming to Miss Edna’s some. He’s local to the Raleigh area.
What kind of track, switches, and power do you plan on using? Im guessing by the programming area you will not be going conventional control…right?
John W
John - I will be using Gargraves track with Ross Switches. I am using an PW ZW, for switch, accessory, and light pwr. Have a new ZW for track power. Will be running DCS, TMCC and Conventional.
Fifedog ----- “Shake-n-Bake!” ??? Your Lucky Im not going to York this year. [:-^] I think I’ll go have a drink. [C=:-)][:D][8D][C):-)][C):-)]
Kurt - Carpet huh?
I’m a definite operator, it will take years to scenic the entire area. I plan on putting the carpet down and THEN, in the future try removing a section at a time and doing detailed landscape and scenery. Otherwise, this would be an artist project and not a train room. AND I’m not an artist. Hopefully will try scenic the engine yard and see how that works. Going to try building a mountain as soon as it is operational.
Do your wiring with drops from the tracks about every 6 feet.
Use at least #14 awg for your under layout feeds and #16 for drops from the rails to the underlayout feeds.
Since you are going to use DCS, there is a good paired wire sold at Home Depot. It is a gray jacketed pair of #14, red and black, used for speakers and alarms.
Run your wiring from your control panel clockwise underneath the layout. The A feed will run from the control panel and end near the lift bridge to the right of the control panel. The B feed is the same, with an extension over to the lift bridge of the center section. The C feed runs from the control panel and hits the first C yard and then around (still clockwise) to the second C yard. The D trolley is the same, clockwise from the control panel to the D track. Use 2 or 3 drops for the D track, equally spaced.
Similarly, you can run your accessory feeds the same way. With two transformers you can have 4 accessory feeds. I usually plan 2 feeds for 14-16 VAC (switch motors and older motored acessories) and 2 feeds for 12-14 VAC (lights and lower voltage motorized accessories.
You will need circuit breakers between the track feeds and the DCS TIU and breakers for the accessories. Use the 10amp ones from Scott’s Odds-n-Ends, CB4-10. This is four breakers, so I recommend 2 of these so you have your 4 tracks and 4 accessory voltages protected. http://www.scottsodds-n-ends.com/circuit_breakers.htm
If you are using PW ZWs - you will also need the breakers between the ZW and the DCS TIU (the TIU has internal 20 amp circuit self protect fuses). If you use an MTH Z-4000, it has circuit breakers built in so you do not need breakers between the Z-4000 and TIU.
Since this is a new layout, you need to wire it optimally for DCS which is why I recommended the twin lead wire from Home Depot (or similar). DCS is a radio signal propagated along the wire and it likes to have the common and hot leads together (like the old twin lead tv antenna wire befroe everything went to coaxial cable). So you need to run the two wires as a pair and the gray jacketed encased wire I suggest keeps the wires together. You can break into the wire wherever there is a drop using the terminal strips. You can also strip a short section (ie 1 to 1.5 inch) and solder directly or you can try the 3M Scotchlock “suitcase” solderless connectors crimp on splicers.
Your track to feeder drops (typ less than 1 foot long) are individual #16 wires (red and black to match the feeder wires) you can also buy in a roll (typ 100 feet, 500 ft, etc.) from Home Depot or similar.
With the Gagraves track, you will want to drop a black common wire from both outside rails since they are not connected together (as on Lionel tubular and fastrack).