I am new and relatively inexperienced with layout wiring. I do realize that with several tracks circling back that I will have conflicting currents. Will someone please diagram how I can wire this track plan. Each junction has electric switches and I would like to cut power to the yard tracks when necessary. Thanks. Van
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Wiring is always dependent on the control system you plan to use, how you plan to operate, and your actual layout diagram. I've studied your picture and can't quite figure out how your A's and B's will meet. I would highly recommend you download a trial copy of SCARM, a layout planning software, and show us how the upper and lower levels will connect. Then tell us what control system (MTH DCS, Lionel Legacy, Lionchief, or Bluetooth) you plan to use, and someone can help you.
Good questions. The layout has two levels - one on top of the other. Tracks A-A and B-B represent the descending and ascending tracks. Trains can go or down from either level via tracks "A" or "B."
I will be using traditional lionel, post-war transformer - Z-275. I have three. I would like to set up one for each level and one to run constant electricity to the layout lights.
Again, I would like to be able to isolate the yard tracks.
Thanks.
Isolating the yard tracks is not hard. Just put a fiber pin in the middle track (instead of a steel pin) at the end of the track, just before each switch on both sides. Powering those tracks is a different story. If it were me, I would completely isolate the yard tracks (3 fiber pins) from the switch at each end which provides yard entrances. Then, I would use the third Z-275 to power those 3 tracks with one common wire going to each of the three tracks and a single power wire daisy-chained to three on-off switches (SPST?). One exit wire from each of those three switches goes to a single middle rail of each line of track. To turn track 1 on, just flip switch 1. Of course, since I've completely isolated the yard from the mainline, I would also have to provide power to the switch trees at each end of the yard, maybe through another 2 SPST switches so that my train would only be able to enter or exit one way.
Sorry, I can't offer much help about separating the two levels for use with other two Z-275s. However, I do know that all the transformers you use have to be checked for proper "phasing" to work together without issue. Search the forum for phasing transformers and you should learn what to do.
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