Hello TB Members, All questions and comments are about Atlas code 80 track. I am redoing the wiring on my layout from DC to DCC. The terminal wire connectors, what gauge is the wire that Atlas uses. Thanks Don
I believe the wired joiners (for supplying power to the rails) use 24-gauge stranded wire. It's certainly less than 22-gauge, which is what I use when I make my own feeders.
Not sure about the gauge, but if you're considering using them, I strongly advise against it. Half of them will arrive with broken solder joints, and you'll have to re-solder them anyway. You may as well just make your own; it will be a LOT cheaper, and you can pick the gauge wire that you want to use.
I am helping build a friends layout right now. What Keith does is he solders his feeders to ALL of his pieces of flex track. He will seperate the ties towards the middle of each piece of flex track and solder a lead about 6 inches to the bottom of the rail. There are pros and cons to this like anything. The pros; the lead can not be seen when viewing the layout, it is easily disguised when rail is ballasted, you have a feeder wire on every piece of flex track for better current flow minimizing and type of voltage/current drop. The cons; You need to be REALLY careful with not to melt the surrounding ties, You need to be fairly good with a soldering iron (if soldering is not your forte then I advise not doing this), If the leads ever break it is almost impossible to solder them back on.
