I was under the layout doing some work with the wiring and began to think, how much longer can I keep doing this. I am starting to think I need to clean it up. In the past I have seen some very neat wiring jobs. Foe now I want to clean up the wiring for the switches and lighting to the buildings. What can I get at radio shack at a cheap price. I have seen the 12-Position European-Style for $5.29. is the the only alternative?
Lotsa kinds of wires. Big ones, little ones, fat ones, skinny ones, blue ones, yellow ones, etc. A reeal answer would need to consider what they are used for and how you want your controls set up. Figure out a plan and stick with it. The "Euro style" terminal strips are pretty handy, but they can be had for less. Also check out your neighborhood home center for wiring accessories including ty-wraps, "66" punch down blocks, suitcase connectors, velcro wraps, etc. (besides, you didn't really need an excuse to hang out at the home center for a while, did you?)
I think most of us start out with the idea of doing a neat/tidy job of wiring,and it might just start out that way,but as time goes on we want to add a switch some feeders, a light in a building and in that one moment we loose that conscious effort of neatness for a split second, and we end up with a rats nest of wires. I just keep the pets and small children out from under the layout and everyone is happy. I don't know one neat layout wiring person around, and for that matter any ones with a snappy sense of clothing style in Model railroading,I guess whats on top of the layout is what counts.
I'm a neat wiring kinda person. The greatest advance in wiring is the new crown head staple and gun (available from home stores). You can staple without stabbing existing wires, and the staples pull out easily if you need to reroute. I've given up on the big top method of layout construction. From now on it's modular sections for me. It only takes one time with a module on it's side so you can do wiring to break you of that old 4x8' mode! Paint the bottoms of your modules white. Does it really help with visibility? Some. It does, however, impress the heck out of people for very little effort! :tb-biggrin:
Cripp- Since we have EXACTLY the same wiring and problem on the layout we both built, I can only suggest the following unless you want to rewire everything. Just label what you have, clearly and large, in case there is a problem later on. Tie up the wires you have and affix to the bottom of the 4'x6' you have. If you are expanding, you know what to do --- Get terminal strips, affix to the bottom and neatly wire in sections and use the crown head staples that Tony suggests. I am expanding around the basement and am doing so in sections. I can tell you that it makes life easier using the terminal connectors and staples and you can label both the wire AND the terminal connectors so that future problems can be avoided.
Color coding helps. Find something to use to easily distinguish various sets of wires. You might want all of the wires to one strip have a red "sticky" on them. I'll try to get pics of what I did under my layout. Others folks "down under" pics would be helpful. Thanks!
