OK I got a pet peeve. Why do track clips and other items have those clips to hold the wires. Thumb screws would hold the wire better and less likely to break off.
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Ah yes...Fahnestock clips. State of the art, 1950. 
I cannot believe that they are still being offered on new products...in 2017.
I think they hold pretty good. I’ve never had one come loose. I guess it helps keep cost down.
Definitely a PITA when using untinned stranded wire, but OK for solid wire! I prefer the thumb screws myself.
Dominic Mazoch posted:OK I got a pet peeve. Why do track clips and other items have those clips to hold the wires.
Probably, there have been no complaints submitted. The spring clips have a low profile that does not cause trouble when used inside the shallow base of an accessory.
I'll agree that screw posts would perform better, as long as they did not extend beyond the bottom of the accessory base.
In my experience, using stranded wire with screw post terminals is no easier / better than using Fahnestock clips.
If a person prefers screw posts, Lionel offered LTC lockons for O and O27 track.
I've had a few items with broken clips, otherwise I find they work OK.
Still use them on my superO track and they work just fine, never a problem.
Tinning stranded wire helps when using it with those stupid fahnstock clips.
Pete
Why do track clips and other items have those clips to hold the wires. Thumb screws would hold the wire better and less likely to break off.
Simple... $$$
A Fahnestock clip is a single piece of sheet metal. Die construction probably comes from the 101 manual for the same.
Thumb screws? At least 2 parts....stem and nut. Lots of secondary machining to both. Much more costly to make. AND...be honest!...have you ever had one of the nuts wander off into oblivion?? Right.
A bigger question for me is regarding the price (msrp) that our Orange/Blue gang charges for a new version of ye olde Fahnestock track clips. OTOH, some of the asked-for prices for these doodads on Ebay are equally absurd!!
Regarding those track clips.....'tis the season. We (LHS) sell a LOT of those at this time of year. Getting harder to find sources, however. I imagine if we knew where those track clips wander off to we'd also find a whole bunch of mismatched socks!! Of course, ditto that for the nuts that wander off from the other style of wire connections!!! (Maybe there's a breed of squirrels that gather these sorts of nuts?
)
And, if I had a dollar for every customer who puts up a seasonal layout around the tree with their olde tubular track, complaining over the phone or across the counter that the train....that ran just fine last year...won't run, must need a new transformer!?, need HELP!!!.............only to find out they forgot in 12 months' time how to properly install the #$%@& track clip onto the 3 rails!!!,,,,why I could take the CFO of our house out to a modest dinner! Yepper, if they come to the store I have a single piece of O27 straight track and a track clip that I hand to them...."Show me how you installed the track clip!" Bingo. There it is...straddling all 3 rails!!! Yes....it's not the tightest fit.....but neither is the aptitude. Well, duh.
Micromark once sold ye olde Fahnestock clips by the bag. But, just checking, I don't think they carry them anymore. Too bad. They had their place, their usefulness. Not the best for those of us suffering from PFS...pudgy-finger syndrome.........and a declining source of patience.
Ah yes...another iconic person to remember for his role in our hobby: John Schade, Jr., of Fahnestock Electric Company, and his 1907 patents 0845268 and RE12642. 
Fahnestock clips are made for solid wire, and for that purpose, they work just fine.
If you're using stranded wire to connect to track clips, tin it first.
Always used them. Never had an issue.
Jon 
