What size wire should I use? Does it really matter? I am using an MTH Z-1000 transformer and a Lionel CW-80 watt transformer. And also, how should I wire feeder wires to the track? Any help would be greatly apreciated.
I believe they state at least 16 but 14 is better to go with.
There are two considerations, safety and voltage drop.
For safety, your wire should be able to handle the maximum current that your transformer can put out before its circuit breaker (or whatever overcurrent protection it has) trips. For these transformers, I would guess that’s 5 amperes or a little more, in which case 20 AWG is good enough. However, if you use a single wire for the commons between the transformers and the track, you need 16 AWG (10 amperes).
For voltage drop, as a rough rule, the track itself is equivalent to 16 AWG. For a moderately-sized loop (say 20 by 20 feet) with good connections at the track joints, you have a good chance of needing no more than one connection between transformer and track. If the loop is incomplete or split into blocks, or if the track joints are not perfect, you may need to add feeders to the areas where the train slows down. For this use 14 AWG or larger, in order to make a significant improvement over the track itself.
Connection to the track depends on what kind it is. You can use whatever type of lockons are sold with your track system. Or you can cram male Fastons (quick disconnects) into the bottom of tubular track. Or you can solder to the track. For this, you can safely use a slightly smaller wire for the first few inches. Solder to the bottom of the rail or to the side away from an observer. Whether or not you use a smaller wire, it can be handy to use a short “tap” that you can solder on the bench, then push through a hole in the table and fasten to the main feeder underneath with a wire nut.
Ok, I need to use at least 14 guage for the feeder wire that goes to the far end of the layout, and 16 guage for any feeders that are closer to the transformer. Should all these wires run from the posts on the transformer, or can I run wires to a terminal strip, and then run the feeders from the terminal strip to the track? Thanks for all your help!!
Those wire gauges are minimums. As long as you’re using 14 AWG anywhere, why not standardize on it? It doesn’t matter where you connect. You can also go from point to point around the layout if you have more than one connection to the track, whatever is easiest to wire up. You could also hold off on the feeders until you notice trains slowing down, unless your layout construction makes it difficult to add them after the fact.
I guess I could just use the 14 guage wire everywhere on the layout. What do you mean my point to point? Thanks for all your help.
For example, suppose you needed 5 feeds to a loop, numbered 1 through 5 clockwise from the one closest to the transformer. You could run wire from the transformer to feed 1, then from there in both directions to 2 and 5, then from 2 to 3 and from 5 to 4. In other words, it is not necessary for each feeder to start from the vicinity of the transformer.
There are some rules about this sort of thing that are said to apply to setups like TMCC or DCS; but I leave it to others to advise about those. I assume that you aren’t using them.
As for wire gauge, it is fairly easy to find 14, 12, and 10 AWG, either solid or stranded, in a variety of colors, at home-improvement stores. You can also get non-metallic sheathed cable (“Romex”) even cheaper. If you do put in feeders, you may find it not much additional expense to go to 12 or even 10 AWG. By the way, there is no electrical difference between solid and stranded wire; it is purely a matter of ease of installation.
Thanks Bob. I am not using TMCC or DCS.
I guess you can say this applies to all Scales with the same power output. Especially the first paragraph.
I have never read about the equivalent of a wire gage to HO Track. Is there one?
The same principles apply not only to all scales but to all electrical wiring. For example, American houses have 15-ampere and (except Canada) 20-ampere branch circuits, wired with 14 AWG and 12 AWG respectively. HO trains, to be safe, should be using wire selected for the power supply’s overcurrent protection, which however is probably lower than for Lionel-style trains.