Power and switch wiring question

I have 14 GA buss with 14 GA feeders soldered directly to my 10'x16' fastrack layout.

No regrets. My layout is 13 years old and I've never had any of the voltage drop issues that have come up on the forum from time to time.

Don't skimp on the wiring, do it right the first time.

Mike

Being a old once upon a time phone man .lol that phone wire  the (Red, green,black, yellow 2 pair) I used all over my layout for switches (fastrack) and lighting . Mine was free also.

I also have used 3 pair and 6 pair phone wire for lights on layouts.

Track??? I way over killed with wire and with the amount of feeders.

But, I have no dead spots.

Larry still having fun.

And I haven't burned the train room down......thank God.

Rick and Larry, thank you so much for your input! I am glad it will work as you cant beat FREE! I will go out later after the game and pull some more wire!

Once again thanks!

Mike G.  I agree what you got should work fine.   One warning with the solid phone wire, be careful stripping it so you don't nick the wire.   Some of the phone wire depending on where it was made can be surprisingly brittle and will tend to break it you bend it several times, especially where you strip it.    Otherwise it will work fine, and tends not to be fragile inside the insulation.  

GOOD POINT Chris.  careful stripping it so you don't nick the wire.

Mike, My attic layout track was originally done with 14 gauge speaker wire. It worked fine with no problems but a few years ago I decided to rewire my layout using different colors for each mainline........Paul

Thanks Chris and Larry! I will do my best not to nick the wire! Paul I think the speaker wire will do, I will just color code each wire with different color electrical tape! 

There are 12 colors of electrical tape for coding.  Lowe's,  H.D.  and any electrical supply shop.

Thanks Tom, that will be the way to go!

I DO NOT Recommend solid "Phone Wire" !!! After working for the "Telephone Co." for 42 Years I would recommend "STRANDED WIRE" for your Switches and Accessories. Solid Wire is Brittle & can break very easily!! Just saying from experience!!! I  used Stranded Wire" for all 52 of my Switches and 20 Accessories. It is not that expensive and can be purchased many places. If you need some Referrals, I can give you a couple!!

Fredstrains

mike g. posted:

Hi All, I have to simple questions.

1) I was given a roll of 14g top quality speaker wire that I want to use for my power to tracks, I think it would work but want to check with you all! I know 14g is over kill but its free! Will it work?

2) I was also given a full box of solid phone wire that I am thinking to use for switches and building power. Will this work for me?

Thanks in advance for all your thoughts!

I don’t think 14 gauge wire is overkill.  In fact, I am considering going to 12 gauge wire for track power.  Stranded.  The layout is big though, 11 x 47.

Fred is right about using stranded.

It depends how far you are going to extend your Layout & how many Power Drops you will have to your Track. I had Two "Busses" of 12Ga. Internal House Wire extended 50' from the Power Source and Drops to my Atlas Track with 14Ga. and eventually 18Ga. I had Drops  to the Track every 4 Atlas Track Connectors! That's where you lose Power, in the Connectors, not in the Solid "T" Rail Track!!!

Fred

FWIW, I think you are fine with what you have Mike. The #14 speaker wire would be fine for power and phone wire ok for switches. I don't know what gauge phone wire is, but maybe lights too, especially if they are LEDs. Regular old light bulbs may require more circuits or larger wire depending on loads. Everyone is correct about the solid wire, just be careful not to score or nick it when stripping. The smaller stuff may also be more prone to breaking if nicked? You can also score or nick stranded wire too and lose a few strands here and there. Not as bad as the whole wire breaking in two though. And you sure can't beat the cost of what you have. 

I really wanted stranded wire for all my switches and lighting too, but ended up using thermostat wire from Lowes or Home Depot. It is #18 solid which is larger than phone wire, but I don't know by how much? I wanted to use #20 stranded, but could not find any multi-conductor that was readily available or as affordable as the thermostat wire at the home centers. The t'stat wire comes in 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 (or 9) and maybe more conductors, just about anything you would need. I thought the Cat5 network wire was just too small, but I believe some here have used it on their switches and things. I don't know it's gauge either, but I am guessing even smaller than phone wire? 

Most of the stranded I found was also shielded which I did not want. I could have gotten what I wanted from my old employer that I retired from, they used a ton of it (#20 - 2 & 4 conductor stranded, no shield) and got a good price, but they had to order it and there were minimum quantities, etc., so Lowes\HD it was. 

My solid wire is now in it's 5th year of operation with no problems so far. I also used your's and Tom Tee's method of colored tape to ID the different wires, just don't forget to note which one is which. I know someone that has done that, and on a train layout too! Fortunately he doesn't have a huge layout yet and he has promised to do better on any future additions! 

Thanks RTR, The phone wire is  4 pair, 24awg wire, I bought a really nice stripper so it work like a charm! I have done several test strips and nothing breaks when I bend it!

Sounds good Mike. I really think you will be fine and a good stripper sure helps a lot. I always enjoyed using a good pair of wire strippers. Try repeated bends, it usually takes several, even quite a few. Repeated bending was what seemed to break them, at least in my limited experiences. 

I actually ended up liking the solid t'stat wire as I didn't have to use any forks on my Atlas switches to connect the wires. Just bent it around the screw and tightened it up, fit perfect. I am not a big fan of crimp connectors either.