Wiring basics help needed....

RonP

Member of the WMRC
Hello all
i need some assistance in planning my electricals in my layout. Being a total newb at MRR i have an idea of how to do this but being this far in my layout i am not bold enough to go it alone.

I anyone knows of some links to good wiring tutorials and tips on wiring DC, i am going to get DCC in 6 months and want to have everything ready for this as well.

My benchwork takes up 10' squared using 2 4X8 sheets of plywood on a C type design.
 

YmeBP

Member
RonP said:
Hello all
i need some assistance in planning my electricals in my layout. Being a total newb at MRR i have an idea of how to do this but being this far in my layout i am not bold enough to go it alone.

I anyone knows of some links to good wiring tutorials and tips on wiring DC, i am going to get DCC in 6 months and want to have everything ready for this as well.

My benchwork takes up 10' squared using 2 4X8 sheets of plywood on a C type design.

I did a search for dc wiring in the forum search box on the top bar, also i did a search for dc ho wiring on google to get some basics on wiring. There is tons of info around this forum on wiring ;).
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Kalmbach and Carstens both publish basic dc wiring books. I found the basic wiring book from Kalmbach essential when I was first learning. Itr is also handy to have it as a reference in case something goes wrong while you are building your layout. The info may be on the internet, but a book is just a lot easier to use for me. In terms of basic wiring problems or how to's, I think we need to see a detailed track plan of what you want to build. If I see your layout drawing, I can identify reverse loops or other potential problems, and there are others here who can see things better than I can. Without a drawing, I don't know where to start.
 

davex

New Member
Really simply- if your going to get dcc in 6 months then dont bother wiring it for DC.
Judging by the size of layout you've indicated then it should be a basic one block all wired live to bus wires. only issue might be reverse loop, wye or turntable, which would need a reverser. then hook up a DCC starter set and play trains.
 

YmeBP

Member
this one: http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/kal/kal10-8320.htm ? I'm looking for a reference book. The internet is great but i like something i can hold in my hands :).

Russ Bellinis said:
Kalmbach and Carstens both publish basic dc wiring books. I found the basic wiring book from Kalmbach essential when I was first learning. Itr is also handy to have it as a reference in case something goes wrong while you are building your layout. The info may be on the internet, but a book is just a lot easier to use for me. In terms of basic wiring problems or how to's, I think we need to see a detailed track plan of what you want to build. If I see your layout drawing, I can identify reverse loops or other potential problems, and there are others here who can see things better than I can. Without a drawing, I don't know where to start.
 

Biased turkey

Active Member
I have a basic reference book ( N scale ) from Atlas: " Introduction to N scale model railroading ". There must be some equivalent book for other scales.
It has some chapters about benchwork, laying track, wiring and some basics layouts.
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Ron: Chapters is usually pretty dismal for Model Railway books. Better place would be Modellers Choice on Upper James street, or the hobby shop in Dundas or Trains on Brant in Burlington. (depends where you are)
Wiring for DC with the idea of going DCC soon is tricky. Best bet is to fix droppers from the rails to under table, then run a heavier wire back to the controls. When you go DCC you can replace the hevaier wires with the DCC bus or use them instead of the DCC bus.
Controls: Atlas make some electrical controls that are adequte for simple jobs that you need to do in a hurry. They also publish a book on using them.
 

YmeBP

Member
60103 said:
Ron: Chapters is usually pretty dismal for Model Railway books. Better place would be Modellers Choice on Upper James street, or the hobby shop in Dundas or Trains on Brant in Burlington. (depends where you are)
Wiring for DC with the idea of going DCC soon is tricky. Best bet is to fix droppers from the rails to under table, then run a heavier wire back to the controls. When you go DCC you can replace the hevaier wires with the DCC bus or use them instead of the DCC bus.
Controls: Atlas make some electrical controls that are adequte for simple jobs that you need to do in a hurry. They also publish a book on using them.

I've been reading that if you use the bus wiing setup you should be fine w/dcc. Right now i don't have a bus wired up yet. I plan to get a spool of solid coppor 2 wire 14awg wire then run 2 lengths of it up the sides of my layout running the feeders through the wood at the sides onto the tracks. I paln to have feeders like every 3 feet or so.

Now that i've been playing w/ the trains for a few days, and actually have a better controller/transformer i have to do some research as to how to actually run my trians.
I plan to throw some turnouts into the mix on my layout but i'd liek to know how i'm supposed to be driving these things first :).
 
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