@Dan Parks posted:I have a few questions:
From what I've read, I get the impression that the outer rails of the track and the U post are not connected to earth ground. This implies that the transformer is behaving as an isolation transformer. Is this right?
100% correct connecting the U post or outer rails to earth ground will insure you have no TMCC signal at all!
From what I understand, the TMCC signal is sent out through the ground pin in the power cord that goes to the Command Base, and gets propagated through wiring in your house. The antenna in the locomotive picks up this signal, and the current flow that is induced by this signal is returned through the wheels and outer rails to the U post and screw terminal on the Command Base. Is that right?
100% correct
I'm slightly confused. Some people have advocated stringing out a wire connected to earth ground along the tracks. Other people say that if you connect a wire to the Command Base screw terminal and string out the wire along the tracks, the locomotive will pick that up. I believe these are two different electrical scenarios. Would they both work? Would they both work at the same time? Maybe it's even better at the same time! I need to get some Tylenol for my head after thinking about this....
That's also correct, but in your case the earth ground is all around you, so that probably won't make any difference.
Is there a good way to electrically join together two sections of tubular rail in a conductive, permanent way? Some sort of glue or clips or purpose-made gizmo perhaps? I'm thinking that I could permanently join together a number of sections of tubular rail in order to help the TMCC signal and cut down on voltage drops. Maybe I should just string out a bus wire and put some lock-ons on the rails farther out.
A very good way to join as many sections of track as you like in a conductive, permanent way. Short wire jumpers and solder!
Take a look at TMCC Signal Basics from the late Dale Manquen's website, a great treatment of TMCC operation and signal propagation. That should set you straight by a guy that really understood the system in depth.
