HOW TO WIRE YOUR LAYOUT: ANSWERS TO YOUR MOST COMMON QUESTIONS
BY JOE MACALUSO
AS YOU MAY REMEMBER from the last issue, I'm an electrician. I offered to answer the most common questions Outdoor Railroader readers had about wiring a layout. Luckily I made no serious blunders in the first six answers so the editor's threats of big, ugly thugs hunting me down, terrorizing my family, or wreaking general havoc with my life have never come to pass. I should only be so lucky this time. The editor has promised even closer scrutiny and sent over a former heavyweight contender by the name of First Degree Murdock to proof read my article. Here it is:
7. What is the difference between a radio control throttle and a remote control throttle?
Technically, every power pack is a remote control throttle. Why? Because you control the train remotely, from the power pack, instead of from inside the locomotive.
But the kind of remote control throttle the question refers to would be a power pack containing a receiver. You could then wander around your layout with a radio control transmitter and use it to tell servo motors inside the power pack when to change the train's speed and direction.
A radio control throttle lets you control the train's speed and direction by transmitting radio waves to a receiver in the engine or in a car near the engine. A device next to the receiver (rather than inside the power pack) makes the locomotive run faster, slower, stop, or change direction. A big advantage of radio control is its ability to run battery powered trains. That way the train carries its own power supply, making it unnecessary to wire the layout. Also, if you use radio control and battery power, you never have to clean tracks because the wheels pick up no electricity from the rails.
8. What is a "block" and how do I wire one?
A block is an electrically isolated section of track. We separate one block from another by using plastic rail joiners or other insulators to prevent electricity from flowing from one track section to the next. That lets us turn on the power to only the block without affecting any other part of the layout.
Why? Suppose you want to park a slower train on a siding while a faster train passes it on the mainline. If the siding is an electrical block you may pull the slower train onto the siding and turn off the power. Let the faster train continue through the powered mainline past the train on the siding. Then turn the on power to the siding and let the slower train pull back onto the mainline. Unless your locomotive has its own on-off switch (or you use radio control) you would be unable to do that without a block.
9. How many blocks do I need?
That depends on how many trains you want to run at the same time, how many passing sidings you have, how many yard storage tracks, and how long your mainline is. If you have two passing sidings, I would suggest a minimum of four blocks. That would allow you to run two trains at the same time.
10. How do I wire my layout if I want to run at least two trains in opposite directions on a single track mainline at the same time?
Ah, you're trying to get me with a trick question! As long as you have two passing sidings and at least two long blocks on your mainline you can run two trains in opposite directions simultaneously. Just be sure each train is in a separate block, a separate three position DPDT switch controls each block, and you have two power packs. The switches control the direction of the train in each block with the center position "off" so you may park a train.
Let's say, then, Train A is northbound in Block 1 and Train B is southbound in Block two. When Train A reaches the passing siding, Block 3, it pulls in and stops. You throw the DPDT direction switch to Block 1 before Train B arrives so the polarity will match that of Block 2. Then Train B will roll past Train A and into Block 1. Reverse the polarity (direction) to Block 2, pull Train A out of the passing siding and into Block 2, and you have done it.
11. How do I wire lights in or on passenger cars or cabooses?
The easiest way would be to hide batteries in the car, run a a pair of wires from the batteries to an on/off switch, and another pair of wires from the switch to the light bulb(s). That way the lights would never flicker and would be independent of the voltage running through the track so the brightness would always stay the same.
But most of us light our cars with track power. I would do that by putting metal wheels on the car I want to light. The wheels would pick up power from the tracks. Then I would install brass or nickel silver "wipers" on the trucks to carry power from the wheels to wires going to the light bulbs. I suggest using 20 gauge wire. Remember to leave enough slack in the wire to the trucks to let them turn easily. Figure 5a shows what to do.
You may even light cars if they have plastic wheels. Install a slider to pick up power from each rail, then run wires from the sliders to your light bulbs.
12. How do I wire an LGB turnout?
Another trick question! It is unnecessary to connect any special wires to an LGB turnout, no matter how it faces, unless you use it in a reverse loop or a wye as we discussed last time. LGB turnouts are "non-selective". That means they allow power to flow to each diverging route. If you want to turn off the power to one route you must install an electrical block. Otherwise, just relax and run trains.
Should you find any errors in my answers, please send the corrections to me secretly. If the editors find out I goofed, they'll send First Degree Murdock after me. That would spoil everything; he was just becoming interested in outdoor railroading.
