The wires that are to connect to the controller from the turnout will not reach. Can these things be spliced? Other recommendations? Called Bachman and they make an extension for the HO but not for the N scale.
Thanks [alien]
I don’t see any reason why they can’t be spliced. Just use wire of the same or larger gauge and make sure to solder and insulate the splices. If the distance is way too long you could see a voltage drop problem. I don’t think that you will have any problems.
Joe
Looks like Ill be short about 6-8 inches. Bachman makes an extension for the HO scale I just wonder if maybe they would fit N scale? The rep at Bahman couldnt answer that one.
I wire all of my turnouts with 4-conductor phone wire from Home Depot. Atlas twin-coil machines (code 83) come short attached wires that I splice the phone wire to. Their code 100 machines have wire and screw terminals. I put the wire in a parts box and connect the phone wire directly to the machines.
The phone wire has a number of advantages. First, it’s cheap. Second, the 4 conductors are bundled in a sheath, so they stay together. Finally, you only need 2 or 3 conductors, so you’ve always got a spare.
If you’re not adept at soldering, by the way, this is a good time to practice. Get some heat-shrink tubing for insulation, a soldering iron and some solder. Do the soldering on your bench and then thread the wire through your layout base. Don’t try to crawl under the layout and solder upside down. It hurts.
The vendor-supplied connections between switch machine and controller are, almost always, too (long or, more usually, short.) They can be lengthened by splicing in any wire you have handy, up to and including that from a three-prong house power extension cord. Just make sure that you don’t cross up the wires at the two ends of the spliced connection.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with bulletproof electricals)
All my n-scale turnouts are spliced. Some by as much as 3 feet. They are all the way across the layout from where I mounted the throw(electrical switch). I had to do this as some of the wires are very short as the turnouts have been used on prior layouts. Yes the wires are VERY small. I did not solder them. I insert the wire through a small pirece of heat shrink tubing, twisted the wires together, pulled the tube up over the connection, and applied the heat to shrink it.