I am building a 25 x 13 W layout and will be using 14 gauge stranded wire. How many feet of wire will I need?. Thank you.
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For a single loop of FasTrack around the perimeter and a CW-80 powering it, if your CW is in the middle of the edge of the 25' side you could get away with a pair of 27' wires to the far side and a pair of 2' wires to the near side track, both sets connected to the binding posts on the CW. 54' + 4' = 58'. If your track "dogbones" back to the transformer side of the table to run parallel to the front track, you could probably use a pair of 2' wires & a pair of 3' wires with slack to spare for a total of 10 feet.
Wire is one of those commodities on my 10 x 20 layout that is in constant demand. I started years ago using 14 gauge for primarily track power feeds. I did star wiring in the 1980's. I use 18 gauge for most everything else. I've used three 500 foot reels of 14 gauge and I'm on my fourth 1000 foot reel of 18 gauge. There's a lot of wire under there but DCS and Legacy both work fine, modifications are easy and there's no overloads.
@shorling posted:... 10 x 20 layout ... three 500 foot reels of 14 gauge and I'm on my fourth 1000 foot reel of 18 gauge. There's a lot of wire under there ...
Going by square footage...
@TrainHead posted:I am building a 25 x 13 W layout and will be using 14 gauge stranded wire. How many feet of wire will I need?. Thank you.
You're looking at almost 9000'.
@TrainHead posted:I am building a 25 x 13 W layout and will be using 14 gauge stranded wire. How many feet of wire will I need?. Thank you.
Probably more than you think. You can never have too much wire. 
Rod
@Rod Stewart posted:Probably more than you think. You can never have too much wire.
So far without a better description, it looks like something between 10' & 9000'.
@ADCX Rob posted:So far without a better description, it looks like something between 10' & 9000'.
It's nailed down just about as close as the details the op gave us to work with!
Rod
@shorling posted:Wire is one of those commodities on my 10 x 20 layout that is in constant demand. I started years ago using 14 gauge for primarily track power feeds. I did star wiring in the 1980's. I use 18 gauge for most everything else. I've used three 500 foot reels of 14 gauge and I'm on my fourth 1000 foot reel of 18 gauge. There's a lot of wire under there but DCS and Legacy both work fine, modifications are easy and there's no overloads.
How in the world did you use that much wire in that space? I can only imagine you have a drop ever foot if you need that much wire! I currently have around 50-60 18ga drops installed, and I figure when I'm done I'll be close to 100 drops. That's about 150 feet times three of the 18ga. I have two 500 foot rolls of 14ga, and I can't see any reason that isn't going to be enough for my 23 x 12 layout with an added 12' x 3' 8 track yard extension, and I'm likely to have some left over! The layout plan is for around 400 feet of track total, so I'm looking at averaging a drop every four feet, it's hard to imagine you need more than 500 foot of bus wire for that! I'm also wiring a star configuration with each power block coming to a common connection block centrally located on the layout.
Looks like trainhead has it narrowed down .I would like to suggest stranded copper speaker wire . Wire can be bought for a reasonable price and usually comes color coded . Just make sure you don’t buy copper clad aluminum.
@ADCX Rob posted:So far without a better description, it looks like something between 10' & 9000'.
I think Rob's got it, you don't really know how much wire your going to need. Rod's comment "you can never have too much wire" is applicable. GRJ is starting just like I started with two 500 foot reels of 14 gauge. The advice here is consistent, purchase 500 foot reels. Now think wire color, gauge, stranded or solid. I use stranded for the drops. How are you going to connect all the wires together: solder, wire nuts, barrier strips, etc. Then there are power supplies, buss design, AC or DC or both. Don't forget command control.
FWIW, I don't know how exactly many drops I have. I don't believe it's anywhere near 100. I have three (one for each rail) 14 gauge wires per drop. I have a lot of turnouts. I located the drops to minimize voltage drop and ensure continuity between turnouts and crossovers. I use 18 gauge solid for accessories, lighting, signals, turnouts, etc. I use 18 gauge stranded for controls panels since they are hinged.
@shorling posted:I think Rob's got it, you don't really know how much wire your going to need. Rod's comment "you can never have too much wire" is applicable. GRJ is starting just like I started with two 500 foot reels of 14 gauge. The advice here is consistent, purchase 500 foot reels. Now think wire color, gauge, stranded or solid. I use stranded for the drops. How are you going to connect all the wires together: solder, wire nuts, barrier strips, etc. Then there are power supplies, buss design, AC or DC or both. Don't forget command control.
FWIW, I don't know how exactly many drops I have. I don't believe it's anywhere near 100. I have three (one for each rail) 14 gauge wires per drop. I have a lot of turnouts. I located the drops to minimize voltage drop and ensure continuity between turnouts and crossovers. I use 18 gauge solid for accessories, lighting, signals, turnouts, etc. I use 18 gauge stranded for controls panels since they are hinged.
What do you think about using Wago nuts?
Yep, exactly what I'm going to use for the main track power.
@TrainHead posted:What do you think about using Wago nuts?
I'm not familiar with this product. I would recommend products that provide solid reversible connections. Solid so the product will withstand high current density during short circuit derailments. Reversible, so when you want change you can easily take things apart and modify your wiring. I use barrier strips to interconnect wiring. I use fork crimp lugs to connect the wiring to the barrier strips. This is not the low cost solution, but I'm never chasing interconnect problems.
When I searched for this product on Wago Nuts, I found two, three, and five wire connectors but nothing that looks like the picture.
https://www.wago.com/us/discov...-splicing-connectors
Please help me understand the application of these connectors?
OGR wire can be found here
I use these WAGO connectors. Two, three and five.
@TrainHead posted:What do you think about using Wago nuts?
GRJ I am understanding correctly that this is what you are using for your wire drops, both hot and ground? Are you going to have one common ground for you entire layout. Mine is maybe as big as yours in feet of track not as many turnouts do to space restrictions and the shape of the platform. I went a little over kill as I am using 16 gauge drops and 10 gauge buss wiring. But my layout is U Sheped so I was figuring some 70 to 80 foot wire runs for power and ground as the control panel is at the bottom leg of one side of the U Shape and each U Shape leg is about 35 - 40 feet long.
@John H posted:OGR wire can be found here
You want wire? Try places like Lowes or Home Depot. $54.65 for 500 feet of #14 THNN wire in various colors. Most of the "hobby" suppliers charge considerably more for that quantity of #14 copper wire. I bought it cheaper last year, but unless you have a time machine, that's the current price.
@RJT posted:GRJ I am understanding correctly that this is what you are using for your wire drops, both hot and ground? Are you going to have one common ground for you entire layout. Mine is maybe as big as yours in feet of track not as many turnouts do to space restrictions and the shape of the platform. I went a little over kill as I am using 16 gauge drops and 10 gauge buss wiring. But my layout is U Sheped so I was figuring some 70 to 80 foot wire runs for power and ground as the control panel is at the bottom leg of one side of the U Shape and each U Shape leg is about 35 - 40 feet long.
That's my current plan, I have separate drops for inside and outside tracks in case I want to do some insulated track signals, I'll probably leave one side dangling for the time being when I connect it all up until I'm sure what will be done with it. All of the outside tracks that have power will be common, but they'll join at the main junction terminal strips. I believe that for DCS, running individual grounds to each power district is a better way than just common everything without bringing them back to a common point. Right now I don't see more than at most a 30 foot run from where I'm going to terminate all the power/ground runs. With 10 amps (which I'm unlikely to come even close to on one run), the voltage drop would be 1.52 volts. In reality with more like 4-5 amps for a typical running consist, it'll be less than 3/4 of a volt. I'm pretty sure I won't notice that. Also, many of the drops will be less, that's probably what I figure would be the worst case, and it's likely the longest run will be closer to 20 feet.
Will someone please clarify the Wago nuts: how are they better than other connectors and which style you recommend.
