Wiring a DCC layout

You block wire, but it is cruder than blocks in a traditional layout that relies on blocks to control the engines. Basically the purpose of block with DCC is just to be able to turn it on and off so that a short can be found much more quickly. So if you can imagine a cirlce wired as one block, where is the short on the cirlce, but if you divide circle into four sections. Then you will narrow the section down where the short is.

Wiring for DCC is simple. You run two thick wires down the "center" of your layout (lets say 14 guage - same guage as household wire). If you have 120 feet of mainline, then you will have two thick wires approximately 120 feet long. Then from these two bus wires, you run (22 gauge wire) a thin wire to on track from one bus, and another feeder wire (22 guage) to the other side of the track from the other bus. With 22 guage it is recommended that your feeders be no longer than 3 feet which is no big deal.

Now when the heat in the arguements start up is the question, how often and where should the feeder wires go. I am of the "more the merrier" school of thought. For every, every, every (did I say every....lol)piece of track, run two feeders at both ends of the section of track. This is overkill, bullet proof wiring with virtually no electirical down time on the layout. A number of clubs in Vancouver, BC started doing this and never went back to old ways.

Another school of thought places feeders every three feet. Others will place them even less than that.

Good luck

 

HemiAdda2d
rsn48 has some good advice. Think about blocks (DCC only) in terms of how many people/engineers you plan to have. I've got about 200 ft of HO track laid and only one block. That's because I'm the only one running trains to any great degree now. I do differ with rsn48 on the guage of the wire. I went 10guage. The heavier the wire the less voltage drop. I also terminate my 'bus' wire about every 5 feet into terminal blocks. That way I can drop feeders to the bus and hook 'em up to the TB's.
You also should consider the size of your layout in regards to booster power. Will you be running enough engines to overload the booster, in that case you definately need at least 2 blocks.
Hope this helps.

 

I would like to suggest you go to the website http://www.wiringfordcc.com

This site has anything and everything you need to know about wiring your layout.

Personally I continue to use blocks. They are more like zones than blocks. The blocks are a lot larger than with traditional block control blocks and may encompass several tracks (yard block, town block, etc). Also, the blocks are controlled by SPST switches to either have power on or off not to assign power to a cab.

The size of your power buss wiring is dependent upon the length of the run. The longer the run the larger the size wire you need. I have a large layout (24' x 40' room) and use #12 gage wire for the buss wires. I also run feeders to every piece of track and switch. Since you are planning on using the Atlas system I suspect you don't plan a large layout. You may be able to get away with smaller wire such as #14 or #16. The important thing is to make sure you don't have too much resistance in your wiring to preclude the automatic short circuit protection from functioning. It is always easier to use larger wire to start with than to go back and start over.

 

I will agree with everything that's been posted, except the notion you have to use blocks. I have 1-block, the entire layout. If you already had a large layout, already block-wired, then leave it. But if you're starting out, keep it simple, you don't need the problems of isolating every few feet. I do have main bus wires, with feeders every 3-feet or so, but only one block, and I run sessions nitely. It's up to you as to how much you want to spend on wire, toggle switches, rotary knobs, and the like... Food for thought... MOPAC 1

 

Mopac,

The purpose of zones (I actually like the word "zone" since it means something different than the traditional usage of the word "block" in model railroading) is not to make the layout run better, but help in finding that short, when it occurs. With one zone (block), you are only committed to finding the short in the zone affected and thus don't have to check every piece of wiring everywhere and suspect everything. Its just to make you a better electrical short detective. Of course, the one block you should have separete is the programming track. In reality, you don't even need that if you are prepared to remove all your engines when you program. Something that over time would wear thin.

There isn't that much involved in isolating a zone from another. A little space between the zones, a little plastic filler filled to the contour of the track, and voila...done. Then wiring the toggle switch (only requiring on and off..nothing more).

By the way, I have heard more different recommendations as to the bus wire size than Mc Donald's has choices. But this Friday night I was talking to a buddy who went to the Digitrax Chief. We were discussing wiring and he told me his entire wiring was 22 guage. You can imagine I looked at him incredulously but he assured me it is working fine. Even though it works fine, I wouldn't recommend this.

I have also had one of the few Digitrax trained techy reps in Canada at Central Hobbies in British Columbia assure me that 14 guage wiring will work just fine for the bus line. My layout will have about 120 feet of mainline (benchwork just finishing up). I will be using 14 guage since I have a ton of it left over from a reno.

I used my son's name here instead of mine...forgot to log out and then back in under my name ...this is rsn48. Also when I tried to edit this post, the forum was acting up so I don't know how many of these edits will actually appear. This is my third attempt to right the wrong...lol.

Rick Nicholson

[ 29 April 2001: Message edited by: BC Rail King ]

 

I am new to DCC to, though I have been reading a lot about it, researching it and will be using it at home and with my club. Anyway I made the plunge and bought a Northcoast Engineering System. Anyway, if your system has a good manual it should tell you what wire to use. Northcoast does. Also the feeder wires will be used to. My layout, is 10x10 and will have enough switching and runs to keep 3 operator's happy. (Me and my two sons.)

I plan to use blocks for my layout, so I can leave some loco's on the layout and just shut off the power to the track via the block. I hope to have my trains running again soon. My layout was almost up and running until a leak literally dampened my plans and made it necessary to disassemble part of the layout. Anyway the leak is fixed, and now I just have to find time between my kid's soccer and baseball season.

 

What guage of wiring did it say to use?

 

What guage of wiring did it say to use? (from rsn (sorry for overdue reply))

Anyway per NCE

For runs to 10 ft use #16

For runs to 50 ft use #14

Runs over 50 ft use #12

They say to have a feeder wire to the track for every three feet. But they suggest one to every piece of rail.

[ 31 May 2001: Message edited by: ajy6b ]