Using terminal strips for DCC wiring

Based on my last question, some mentioned terminal strips for wiring a DCC system. Most of what Ive read/watched shows a continuous buss line and the feeders attached every 3-6’ along that, and the best practice is to keep the feeders as short as possible for less power loss. Wondering what the advantage of a terminal strip is and how that works with feeders. It seems if I have a terminal strip in a certain place, that the feeders from that strip to the track would get long. Do you use a small terminal block at each feeder point? Seems that would be a ton of terminal blocks if you had a long main line. There are some youtube videos showing terminal blocks/strips but I cant find one that shows the whole process of wiring the actual feeder points.

Terminal strips can be handy for troubleshooting, allowing easy disconnecting of known sections of track to isolate problems.

Terminal strips are handy where benchwork might be taken apart in future. If yiu repair a bus for any reason it makes sense to fit a connection that can be easily taken apart again and a terminal strip will provide that.

For feeders close together you could use a bus wire gauge sized sub bus to terminal strips (one bus bar type terminal strip is needed for each bus wire ) and run feeders from that terminal strip. That sub bus idea would work well for branches off the main line.

Less voltage drop would be achieved by using suitcase type connectors instead of bus bars to connect track feeders with a short a feeder wire as is feasible. Using terminal strips instead of suitcase connectors would inevitably require some longer feeder wires.

For DCC wiring you’d use bus bar type terminal strips, one for each bus wire. Using a terminal strip that simply passed the connection across the terminal strip would offer no advantage for DCC wiring.

You could use terminal strips consisting of two parallel and isolated bus bars made into one unit. Terminology in this area is inconsistent.

There are two basic types of terminal strip: a bus bar where all wires are connected together and must have the same polarity and pass through terminal strips. For DCC you would use the bus bar type.

This bench is 18’ long, I have a terminal strip at one end and the buss wires run the length of the bench like fingers. I hook the feeders to the wire right under the track by wrapping the feeder wire around the buss and soldering it. I just stripped the buss maybe 1/4" in each spot, soldered the wire on and slapped some liquid electrical tape on it.

I mounted it on this flip-down board under the layout.

This is the other side of the room. I had 100s of feet of 12g wire sitting around so I went a little overboard.[(-D] The layout is 15 years old and I have never had one electrical issue.

I use the terminal strips. On each terminal strip, all the screws are connected.

The bus wire is attached to one screw, and all the other screws then are out to the feeders. I have two terminal strips at each location.

I found several advantages. As Mike said, it makes things very easy to connect or disconnect, especially if you’re trying to find a problem.

Another advantage is that these terminal strips are attached behind the removable fascia. Wires are dropped under the table, and pulled to the terminal strips. This allows me to never have to go under the table and work over my head. All connections are done sitting in a chair. For you younger readers, this may seem silly, but just wait until you get to my age.

I have these terminal strips at several different places on the layout, with the buss wire going to each one. Not one of my feeder wires was over four feet with this system, so I don’t think there’s any problem with loss of power.

This picture is for lights on the layout, but I use the same system for the power feeders and buss.

Here’s a sample of what I used. These come in quite a few different sizes:

Edit: Brent beat me to the post!

The photo shows the “bus bar” effect obtained by fitting a connector behind the individual wires. You can see one is coated in black plastic and the other coated in red. Each coating conceals a continuous metal strip connecting each seperate wire to the same polarity and to each other for the two separate bus wires power sources.

You could instead fit those bus bar type connectors onto the other side of these terminal strips.

You can cut or buy shorter bus bar connectors to create more than one power district using a terminal strip system.

Correct.

On the ones I bought, each set of screws is connected to the screw opposite it. So the connectors only need to be on one side. By connecting the buss wire to one screw, every screw on either side of the strip is connected.

It’s a nice, easy, neat system.

For the feeder wires, it didn’t make much difference, but for my lights, I regret not labeling each wire indicating where it went on the layout.

I use shorting terminal blocks (busbars) in my control panel for main power distribution and EURO type connectors for terminal blocks for ease of connecting the wires. Been using them for the last 30 or so years without any problems.

https://led-switch.com/collections/terminal-blocks

My layout is pretty small at 10’ x 14’ with 121’ of mainline and I don’t use DCC bus wiring, I run a pair of #19 solid bell wire to each block from my control panel. My blocks are approximately 8’ long. Longest track wire run is about 12’, no problems since I added DCC in 2005.

DCC bus wiring works great I just prefer individual block control.

EDIT:

I run dual mode on my layout, DCC or DC. I have over 60 locomotives and only 13 DCC decoders.

Mel

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California

Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.

Hello All,

Let me clarify my response to a previous post…

My pike is a 4’x8’ that sits on the bed in the computer/spare bed/train room.

It is comprised of 1-inch foam on 1/4-inch plywood framed with 1"x4" for rigidity.

There is no under-access for wiring.

Originally it was DC with two (2) cabs and common rail wiring to 16 blocks; some as small as a single 9-inch piece of sectional track, through Atlas block controllers.

My wiring solution was to carve 1/2-inch wide and 1/2-inch deep trenches in the foam.

I then used 1/2-inch Split Poly Loom; commonly used in automotive applications, and placed it in the trenches- -think prototypical utility tunnels.

This allowed for scenicing and painting of the foam base along with ballasting without permanently burying the wiring.

To accommodate the wiring for the Atlas remote switch machines I cut out an area approximately 1-foot square in the foam. This served as the “utility pit”.

All the “utility tunnels” converge at this location.

From there the turnout and block wiring went to a control panel.

I used terminal (barrier) strips to connect the positive (+) side of the Atlas controllers from the control panel to each block.

The turnouts are still controlled by a separate wall wart and two (2) Capacitive Discharge Units (CDUs) wired to half of the turnout motors- -some are PECO units paired so both turnouts are controlled by one switch.

When I converted to DCC one side of the track feeders were already in place, from the DC wiring.

Rather than running a traditional power bus, and dropping feeders, I just added a single negative (-) feeder to the previous DC blocks.

I also removed several sets of insulated rail joiners to make five (5) power districts from a single 5 Amp booster, from the previous 16 DC blocks.

Two (2) Walther’s Northern Light & Power buildings were kitbashed to cover the

This seems to be your only post to this thread.

Hello All,

The OP referenced a previous post that I felt my response was ambiguous.

I am seeking to clarify my previous response.

Running bus wires

Hope this helps.

ahh, I see.

Hello All,

Thank you for your kind response.

Hope this helps.

Sure thing. I find your pike interesting, and your use of terminal strips interests me as well.

Rich

For our DC layout I use bus bars (shorting terminal strips) for the red pole (basically “common rail”) and non shorting terminal strips for all the black wires (the other pole) running from the block selectors out to the one rail in each block.

To convert to DCC we simply shove all the Block selectors to Cab A and connect the DCC powerpack to the common rail and the block selector feed.

Lots of different way to skin this cat.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-Kevin

I don’t use a single terminal strip. Why add to the wiring and since I use Posi-taps it is easy to trouble shoot and add or remove wires.

I like the idea of the neat/clean looking terminal strips/bus bars but as was said above, it seems to add more unnecessary work and purchases. DCC is totally new to me so Ive been learning about it as I plan my new layout. It seemed the most common way to do it was run the buss lines underneath where the track lines are and use the shortest feeder wires possible, attaching to the buss via solder or suitcase connectors.

Lately Id seen many more posts and videos about using the terminal strips and couldnt see what the major advantage was.

I appreciate the community taking the time to answer all of my questions. Things have changed SO much since my last model railroad so its just like starting brand new for me.

You are correct that DCC wiring can be very simple. Toy train simple. It may help to identify specific reasons for using terminal strips before deciding to do so. Most home sized DCC layouts do not require a lot of wiring. Two wires to send power to two rails, literally.

Reversing sections need their own separate set of two wires and controlling DPDT switch to match polarity (DCC phase) as the locomotive traverses the reversing section.

Otherwise unless you expect continuity or voltage drop issues you don’t need a bus either. Just connect the DCC unit directly to a convenient section of track and the whole layout will be powered up.

DCC locomotives respond only to the throttle instructions sent to that specific locomotive. Track power remains on at full voltage throughout all connected track all the time you’re operating. Locomotives don’t move until they are told to move.

Well, there you go. Doggone it, I just assumed that since my layout is 42’ x 25’ that I would need to install a bus and run feeders to every section of track, be it flextrack or turnout. Had I only known that two wires from the command station would suffice. [8o|]

I don’t think my house footprint is 45x25…I assume most model railroaders don’t have large home layouts.

Actually though, even for a very large home layout if your rail joints are good there should be no need for a bus as well. Feeders can add nothing if the rail joints are good. There’s only so much wire cross section needed to provide an amp or two for model locomotives. You can see what gauge of wire is needed to actually power the motor when you look at decoder wire.

There’s a lot of belt and braces stuff in our hobby. Not necessary for everyone.