I’ve read in a few wiring books about which gauges to use for specific parts of the layout; i.e., heavy gauge to the power supply, etc.
I’m building an N scale layout, 36"x54", and my question is this: is it absolutely necessary for me to use 16-gauge wire to power my track from the bus? That wire’s very thick, and won’t even screw onto my terminal block (and it’s a heavy-duty block!). Here’s what I have so far:
I’m using an Atlas Commander DCC power system. The terminal joiners on my rails have light gauge wire already soldered on to them that’s about a foot or so long; I’ve connected some of them to my terminal block (the ones that were close enough). The others are about 24" away, so I’m going to extend heavier gauge wire (22-gauge) all the way across the layout to power them.
Is this going to damage anything? My layout’s rather small, so I’m hoping the current draw won’t be too bad…I’ve only got two locos, after all.