Starting to build my first real layout and how often should I run a feeder wire to the track. The layout is 16' by 8'. It will be ran by MTH's DCS system.
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Every 6 to 10 track joints.(or about 8-12 feet) Hot and Common. Using MTH terminal board(s) will make this easier. 16awg stranded wire to track. 12 or 14awg transformer to TIU and TIU to terminal board.
I use Fastrack on my layout. Most of the Fastrack sections of track have built in tabs to connect power. I went a little overboard and put a drop every forth piece of track. I admit it was overkill, but with the ease of using a crimping tool and pair of needle nose pliers to slide the connectors onto the track I don't think I will have any problems with voltage drop.
Perhaps someone with a better understanding of how to set it up could explain the 'star wiring" method, as NSRailfan100 mentioned intention of running DCS, and it seems prudent to wire for it from the start. The basic concept, as I gather it, is to isolate blocks of track about every 10-12 track joints, and to run a separate feed to each block, all the way back to a central point. If I understand correctly, this is to prevent overlapping DCS signals caused by multiple feeder lines that travel different distances.
I have a U shaped layout that is 28' X 15" with two mainlines each one scale mile long. There are no power blocks. I used Fastrack O84 outside and O72 inside. The loops are connected, but isolated electrically from each other. I ran power drops about every forth section of track and connected the drops to terminal blocks. I have six terminal blocks attached to each loop. Three hot and three ground. Each block has space for 20 connections. I connected all the wire drops in one area to the blocks. I attached wire drops to all the spaces on the terminal block except one. I connected a wire to this and attached it to another terminal block in another location. I did the same at the last set of terminal blocks and connected this terminal block to my TIU and transformer. I have 10’s all the way around my layout on both loops and in the storage yard.
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Did the same center(hot) and outside(common) rails feed wiring and spacing as Carl(Moonman) did, I used two 12 inch # 18 gauge solid wires one with black insulation for center rail and one white insulated wire for outside rails and one 6 inch wire for the other common rail. At the spacing centers or lengths, all three feeder wire were soldered to their respective rails.
Both ends of eack wire had approximately 1/2 inch of insulation removed, on the wire end soldered to the side of the rail I formed an offset 90 degree bend to form a metal-to-metal contact with the side of the rail the ends to be soldered were solder tinned.For the outside rails I soldered the 12 inch wire to one rail and the 6 inch wire to the opposit rail, route the 12 inch wire below the rails and between the ties transversely then route the 6 inch wire in the same direction, place the 6 inch wire against the 12 inch wire, mark this location, and skin off the insulation at this marked location for soldering the 6 inch wire to the 12 inch wire, solder then tape the soldered joint with electrical tape. On the same side of the track with this soldered soldered and taped joint in the tie location drill a 1/4 inch hole through the plywood deck, feed the black and soldered white wire through this hole, for wiring to the transformer.
The free end of the 12 inch white common wire is then connected to either #16 or #14 gauge insulated stranded wire using insulated electrical butt splice connectors, the stranded wire is then soldered to a #12 gauge buss wire. The free end of the #12 gauge black hot wire to butt spiced to ewither #16 or #14 gauge wire for routing to toggle switches and the power supply. Check amperage rating and calculate voltage drops of terminatiom wiring back to the power supply or transformer. This information is available by doing a web search on wire amperage ratings and voltage drops in wire runs.
Wiring for DCS, I would recommend you get the DCS O Gauge Companion (aka Barry's book) and follow the guide lines presented there for your wiring. They are basically what Moonman and JohnGaltLine have described above. I would also recommend using OGR wire. It comes in #14 & #16 and it's very good wire.
