Do the wires for O gauge really get that warm? I would figure using 14 wire, that should be enough to bus wiring for the cw-80. To be safe and future growth, ill use 12 Ga stranded to safely handle future transformers.
I am use to modeling HO scale where the power requirements are much smaller then o.
Suzukovich,
I assume the mats you used were bath mats? This is the first I have heard of this technique and maybe one worth looking into.
Edit: Found this link https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...ly=22547924382665555