Layout Track Wiring

Well, I don't have the ability to work on the layout, so now I can catch up with some blog posts here and there with projects I did awhile ago.

How do we get power to the rails?

Ignoring the dead rail movement, most modelers and books suggest soldering directly to the side of rails and I suppose you could do that on the side that no one sees, but I wanted to make it so one couldn't see after ballasting, the wires that power the layout at all.

I thought about soldering to the bottom of the rail, like I did on the AtlasO switches that I beefed up to ensure they wouldn't fail on me, but it was already a lot of work to cut out the ties and solder the wires to the switches without melting the plastic ties.  Then I had an idea to solder the the rail joiners like AtlasO sells.  Worried about contact, I also clasp down on the rail joiners with needle nose pliers to ensure they fit the rails super tight.

Below is a photo gallery of some work I did on the switches, followed by my method of soldering power leads to the rail joiners.  For planning purposes, I figured out where to put my feeders based on a general track plan I had for AtlasO track.  After having the track in place, I would mark on the roadbed where the rail joiners would be and then drill holes to have them come up in exactly the right place.

Now for the photo essay.

 The first track I initially laid.  This is where Pegram Shops will be and it is raised up on thin sheet of wood in case it needs to be moved in the future.

 I have a previous blogpost on how I did these, but I had gone through and soldered new jumpers across the tracks that can handle higher current. I also tapped and added wires to the frogs, though I'm starting to think I can get away with unpowered frogs.

 A photo when I set up a little switch assembly line to add/solder the new jumpers on the switches.

  Some jumper creation close ups to replace the existing ones.

To conceal these jumpers, I made sure the solid-core wire was flexed downward towards the ties.  That way when ballasting occurs, you can't see these.

 

Another AtlasO switch upgrade...the frogs can move...and possibly cause shorts...so better to cut pieces of styrene into the gaps and glue them in there and sand them in place to prevent this. Another assembly line was made for that.

Finished result of the styrene frog insulators. Thanks Ed Rappe for the tip.

 

 

This shows a few things.  The 18/2 I used for my feeders. The tunes I can jam to while doing this work. The Pegram Shops tracks in the distance are separate the same distance and consist of two pieces of track, a 10" and I believe ME flex (that doesn't really flex.)  For now, there is a piece of wood held down with clamps to keep anything from rolling off onto the floor.  The double-track mainline are the two tracks closest to the camera on the right.

This image shows the that there is a gap in the AtlasO track for wires.  I have to be careful in how I solder to the rail joiners so that the feeders come down exactly in this gap.

Here's a close up of clearance for the feeder wires.  You cannot put it on the right side without cutting in the plastic and hurting the integrity of the track connector.

Here's what a complete piece of track looks like.

So here's an example of how the process works.  We have a track in position and then drill the two holes for the feeders.

 

I used this bit for the holes.

 Find the holes underneath and feed the feeders through the holes.

Connect the joiners to the tracks.  This shows this works with other track too as long as the ties aren't in the way.  This is ME track I believe.

 The finished result.  Can't see the wires at all.

Another example.  Won't see it when ballasted.

Just a random progress shot.  It showed I used big mats of cork as it was easier to do than line up every track exactly.

A parting shot looking down the Pegram Shops trackage.