Help needed with name and type of connector

You may want to try Molex Connectors at Mouser.com or alliedelect.com.

Buy a $1.00, 6-foot long extension cord. Cut it in half. Connect one free end to the hatch, the other free end to the layout.  Take some red tape and mark both the male and female ends as a reminder that they are not to be used for line voltage. Female end is the source, so that the male blades don't have juice on them.

Good Idea Art.

David

Just to show you how well versed in the lingo I am, my power source is the transformer.

I am coming off of a ZW using one of the handles to power the lights. I am not plugging into an electrical outlet. Did I say that right? Ok, so my transformer has power and I am just powering 15 or so tiny lights. I feel like a dummy. All you guys are electricians.

Eliot

Eliot,
Your not plugging into an electrical outlet.Your just using that type of equipment as a plug set up so you can disconnect your lift out easily .
When you cut that extension cord in half Art was talking about you can feed the female with the transformer. Connect the male portion of the cord to your lights.
Now you'll be able to plug one end into the other to make your lights work.
When you skin the jacket off the extension cord you'll see a black, white and green wire . Use the black as the hot one the white as common and just cut the green one off as you will not need it.
Because the cord has a 3 prong plug it will force you to plug it in the same way each time.
In a nut shell your taking the extension cord cutting it in half using the plug in end to go back to your transformer and the part with the plug on it to come from your lights so when you plug the plug into the plug in end you have power to your lights.

Make sense?

David

I use these for that kind of application...Anderson Powerpole connectors...

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=anderson+powerpole&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4586101195&hvpos=1t3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1531256129653395320&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_3l422vejs_e

or here...

http://www.powerwerx.com/ander...oles/powerpole-sets/

you can buy them made up and ready to use...

http://www.powerwerx.com/adapter-cables/

Nobody has said it yet so I will. I am glad that those of you using 120 volt plugs and sockets for connectors NEVER have young kids or other uninformed people around your layout. Somebody some day is going to plug that thing into a regular extension cord and you are going to be looking for a doctor, ambulance, new layout, or new house. As a mater of safety, PLEASE go to Radio Shack if no where else and get a different connector. Some local hardware stores even cary other connectors. One should never use a power plug or socket for anything other then its intended purpose.

I will pray for you.

Al

Somebody some day is going to plug that thing into a regular extension cord and you are going to be looking for a doctor, ambulance, new layout, or new house.

No, none of the above. You will have a few very bright lights in your little houses for a split second, and once the filaments fuse, you will have dark houses. Let's not get over-emotional here and scare the poor guy.

Very true Art . The elements in those lights will be burnt out so fast you probably won't see much more than a blink.
Now with that said Al,
I'm usually the voice of caution(Just ask anyone here I've got into some pretty heated arguments where safety is concerned   LOL) This advice wasn't given to everyone it was given to just Eliot.

I also cautioned him to mark his equipment so there wouldn't be a chance of it being used in another fashion ie: plugging it into a live 120 volt outlet although I did fail to recommend he keep the cord to as absolutely short as possible so keep it short Eliot.
Further more no responsible parent  or grandparent should allow a child under the layout anyway and we didn't say a 100 foot cord we said 6 feet and I would make sure it was shortend to a foot or less.
Thanks for praying for me though I can always use an extra hand
I know Eliot is the operator of this layout and I know he's a responsible adult.

David

What i do with any section of my layout that has to be removed is i put 2 screws on the bottom of the piece to be lifted out connect the wires from the removable piece to the screws, then i soder 2 wires from your power source to allagator clips very easy to connect & diconnect, it works for me.

And then the alligator clips which are bare metal will be live, too.  That WILL cause sparks, unless they are protected by a fuse at the source.

I agree. 

The workable idea is to take an extension cable with mating plug/socket, cut it, and use it in reverse so to speak.  For $1 with free shipping on ebay, here's a 3 ft. low-voltage power extension cable for CCTV cameras. It's uses the barrel connectors like on wall-wart power adapters and appears easy to separate the black-white wires.  

I think we have already seen how Eliot was confused by the suggestion that he use a 120vac power cord to power his 14 vac lamps. That is precisely why it's unsafe to make such deviations from good and sensible safety practice. It's for the unwary and less experienced that these safety rules are in place. Telling someone that misuse of a safety violation will only result in a harmless POOF and burn out all the lamps in his buildings is the limit I think.

So Eliot, use a low voltage plug and socket, there are some good suggestions here. One that wasn't mentioned is the SAE two pin automotive (trailer type wiring) that you can get at any farm store, etc.

I have to agree with Chuck here, I think it's incredibly foolhardy to use 120V plugs and receptacles for low voltage wiring.  While you may be 100% sure of what you're doing, there'll come a day when someone that doesn't know gets their hands on it...

You guys really slay me. 3 months ago we had this same argument about safe work practice and 99% of the time I am the voice of caution . Some of you even said you run HO track under your layout as buss bar not to mention the list of far less than safe practices that many of you stated that as far as you were concerned was A okay . I can see where it would be an insurmountable expense for some of you to afford a sharpie to write 12 VOLT ONLY on the plug and on the plywood of the lift out. If there's a question of spelling then just read what I've just typed.
If this was a 100 foot cord we're talking about I could see it being a problem but one foot?
Well anyone is going to have a heck of a time turning that lift out up on it's side to try to plug it in an outlet anyway with only 6 inches of cord to deal with and of coarse they'd have to be illiterate .
Once again my misgivings of posting anything here on the "know it all forum" are re- affirmed 120 Volts ? How many of you are using 120 volt rated switches? Did you figure the voltage drop or did you just buy them?Yea that's what I thought.
How many have transformers paralleled thinking the breakers on each transformer will be good enough? with no protection down line. Yea that's also what I thought
hypocrites.

David

Well, many years ago now the 5 year old was going to help Grandpa with his trains. Grandpa was working under the layout and went to get something. The child picked up the extension and pluged the little dangling plug in. As you say, there was a small spark, a flash, and the lights went out. The child, scared, started to cry where upon Grandpa saw to the child. What Grandpa didn't see was the small smoldering spark caused by the melted wire when the small bulb exploded. By the time the smoke was discovered Grandpa lost a good part of his layout and some of the room. The insurance company was not impressed however. The policy did not cover negligence.

With all the options available why push providence.

Eliot, There are many types of plugs available, You mighe even try an autoparts store. Look for the connectors they use for trailer connections. We use them at the club and they are keyed and come in two and four pin combinations.

Al

I have to agree with the 2 pin trailer connectors at about 5.00 for the set it is cost effective easy to obtain and safe.

Ron

Not to mention getting sued for suggesting it.

$2.39 shipped free at Amazon.

So what happened this time, lose your way?

Two wire nuts and stagger the joints about 3 inches.

Do low voltage lighting systems have a plug/connector combo? I would try to find something at a large building supply store such as Home Depot, Menards, Lowe's.

At work, I have this test fixture that uses Hubbell brand nylon flange 120Vac outlets to plug in heaters, and you would be amazed at the amount of times people try to plug in other equipment.

Then on another fixture, I have an oil pump that needs to be kept on even if the power goes out, so I routed it to a UPS, and people have no gumption about plugging in 15A 3/4" Milwaukee table top drills into the outlet for some other purpose.

John and David, I hope that you both grow up and quit quibbling on this Forum.  I , for one, don't enjoy it.  I think we hold a higher standard here.