Providing AC Power to the Layout

I have a fairly large layout in my basement.

The layout is DCC powered by a 5 amp booster that is connected to household AC power protected by a 15 amp circuit.

Our county code requires thin wall rigid conduit. I use heavy duty extension cords from a wall outlet to connect the DCC booster to the AC wall outlet.

I am not fond of this arrangement, so I am thinking about running conduit from the wall outlet and securing the conduit to the layout framework which is 2x4 dimensional lumber.

I would place outlets along the layout to accommodate not only the booster power cord but also a series of six DC transformers that I use to power signals, control panels and Tortoises.

I am interested in your thoughts on this proposed arrangement. I am also interested in how you deal with this issue on your layout.

Rich

Not a bad idea, but I would get a professional to do it. Heaven forbid, if you ever had a fire and the insurance co. found out there was some DIY electrical work done, they might blame that on the fire even if it had nothing to do with the layout.

BTW I use three boosters spread out around the basement. My layout is ‘around the walls’ so isn’t that much square footage but covers a lot of linear distance.

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i am about to put a outlets on the legs of my layout, connected with 14/2 romex and but use a heavier gauge short (10’) extension cord to connect it to a wall outlet

perhaps when i work on the next section of the layout that runs next to an outlet in the cinder block foundation, i’ll wire it directly to the wall, probably with a switch.

i found these low profile flange mounted boxes at lowes

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Rich So the county code does not allow extension cords at all
What does the county code say about where conduit is required also are the extension cords where they can be walked on

You could do just as you say no problem Is the outlet under the layout If it is I see no problem using a heavy extension cord just plug it in and hang it from the layout framework with plastic hangers
Also adding more outlets yes use conduit then you can use 14 gauge single conductor THHN wire

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The code does allow extension cords. What I don’t like about them is that they lay on the concrete basement floor under the layout. Thanks for your post.

Rich

Is the existing extension cord a trip hazard? If not I would continue to use it. The Booster draws less than 1/2 amp from the outlet, all the other transformers likely add up to less than 2A.
My layout fills the room. All the power supplies/transformers are on a control cart on casters that sits under the front edge of the layout. The total secondary Amperage of all the supplies is 90A. At 75% efficiency the total primary demand would be 16A. However, I have never come close to simultaneously max loading all the power supplies. The Control Cart has a 12gauge extension cord that plugs into a dedicated 20A outlet/circuit in the wall. Works without any issues.

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I am not a licensed electrician, but I have plenty of experience, and I follow the code to the letter. The code does not require that work be done by a licensed electrician, but work must comply with the code. I use 1/2” conduit to match the original construction, and the wire is 14 gauge solid copper. All of the wiring is grounded.

Rich

Thanks, Stix.

Rich

Thanks, greg.

Rich

I have a basement sized layout. For layout power I have a separate 20A circuit, which is controlled by a 20A switch near the bottom of the basement steps. I ran a conduit around the walls underneath the benchwork, with periodic receptacles. The conduit is fastened to the wall, not the layout.

I also have separate15A circuits for layout lighting with the circuit switches at the same location as the layout power switch.

Dave

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Thanks for posting, Tom.

The extension cords are not a trip hazard. They are completely under the layout. Your layout and power needs are quite interesting. So, your layout fills the room. May I ask how big it is? My layout covers a 45’ x 25’ space including an aisle.

Rich

Thanks for that post, Dave. I like your wiring plan. When I built this latest layout in 2018-2021, I should have run conduit along the walls, but I didn’t. Now, the simplest solution is to attach conduit to the framework.

Just curious, how big is your layout if I may ask?

Rich

I installed four 20amp outlets with a 20amp switched circuit (12ga romex) for layout control. One switch turns on/off all the DCC, layout lighting, etc. One control panel will be in the center platform area and I plan to run a 25ft extension cord from one of the 20amp switched outlets. The extension cord will be run through the benchwork/center platform so it will not be on the floor.

I also installed 14 15amp unswitched outlets around the room. These outlets are just used when I am using some sort of corded AC device. Mostly the vacuum cleaner. :slight_smile: The room is around 1250 sq ft. I also installed two switched 15amp circuits with 14 outlets in the (open, floor truss) ceiling that I use for room lighting (22 8800 lumen LED shop lights). Two room lighting circuits so I can have half or all the room lights on. .

Thanks for that informative post, Onewolf42. That gives me a thought about securing the extension cords to the benchwork instead of leaving it on the floor.

Rich

The layout is 17’x21’. It has 700’ of track on four different levels. The layout scenery is such that the different levels (-6, 0, +6 and +12) are either hidden or fit into the sloped terrain.
The layout is S gauge and each dual motor engine with smoke unit etc. will draw up to 4A at stall. There are 8 power districts, each with a 10A supply. The Layout Control System draws about 4A and a large assortment of lighting, accessories, iPad chargers and relays accounts for the rest of the power needs.
The layout room is carpeted, so the extension cord currently lays on the carpet. It would be easy to attach it to the layout structure if desired.

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I had American Flyer as a kid, and I still have it although it is currently boxed up. I got it out of storage back in 2010 and restored it. I set it up and got it running after some repairs. The smoke odor is intoxicating. You should post some photos of your layout. It sounds fascinating.

Rich

Here are two quick pictures. One shows a corner of the layout with three levels of track visible. The tunnel portal at the lower right leads to the -6 level which is a combination staging yard and reverse loop. The other picture shows the center peninsula with the freight yards and engine service areas. On top is the passenger yard and stub end station.


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Here is a picture under the layout that shows the back of the control cart and all the wiring leaving the cart. The white power strip feed to the 12ga orange extension cord is visible. Th gray sheath holds all the 18ga wires from the auxiliary power supplies. The individual colored wires in ties are the 14ga track power feeds for the eight power districts. The coil of cabling is sufficient to be able to move the control cart up to 6’ for maintenance purposes. There is no reason to move it for operations. In 8 years I have never had to move the cart.
The wire coils in the picture are all that is on the floor. The orange power supply cord is visible on the left side of the support leg. It runs attached to the bottom of the layout structure, The other layout feed wires also run up that leg.

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On several layouts I’ve added a 120V outlets every eight to ten feet along the L-girders to provide local power for soldering irons, a Dremel, a work light, etc.:

They were wired with 12 gauge wire and fully grounded, They plugged into a wall outlet with a very heavy duty flexible cord.

Generally, as long as something isn’t hard-wired into the house you don’t have to worry about permits. But you DO need to know what you’re doing!
I wired parts of my own houses over the years, so I know how to handle 120V wiring.

I didn’t do that on my current layout, but I do have some 120V wiring on it for wall warts and some lighting and such:


The boxes will be behind the fascia when that’s added.

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Thanks for posting, Mark.

Where I went wrong was not adding outlets on the walls before starting this latest layout. The basement is 1,950 square feet.

When we built the house 25 years ago, the entire basement had two wall outlets, one at the service box and one next to the laundry tub. The ceiling had five incandescent bulb fixtures. The entire basement was wired to one 15 amp circuit.

I eventually installed LED cans across the entire ceiling, zoned the lighting on two separate circuits and added a few wall outlets. But, there is only one wall outlet in the entire layout area at the present time.

Rich