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Originally Posted by BlueComet:

Thanks again Mike.  These pictures are excellent.  You're welcome.   Is the portion under your layout where all of the power center is located enclosed? Everything is under the layout in one area, it is not enclosed, easily accessible.    If so, how do you access? The area is lighted and near the edge of the layout. I can access the area on my knees.  I have spent some time sitting on a small box. My wife says I sleep under the layout.   Do you have any other tips to make my wiring efforts neat and organized. I made a living as an electrician, but grossly underestimated the number of wires required. There was some rip-out and re-do of the grey wire tray.   Before now I secured everything with a staple gun.  I use a lot of plastic romex staples and cable ties. The two layout rooms are 23ft X 15 ft average, a relatively small layout.

 

The power center MikeCT has makes all kinds of sense if your topside space is limited as mine is on this current 9x16 attic layout. I just have Cab 1s, a track schematic with 15 turnout toggles and panel meters up above.

 

The first time I used this concept was in 1992 for powering a high shelf operation in the 18' high Kitchen of our mountain cottage when my wife ran me off the breakfast bar top. I had pwZWs, Power Programmers,etc, mounted on a covering, framed plywood surface under the overhang of the cabinet bartop with flexible conduit running up the wall to feed 7'-6" and 9-'0"high shelves[5 tracks 14x28]. Not ideal for operating ZW throttles but worked until TMCC came along. [She had deeded me the upper area of the kitchen to get me off the carpet in the Den].

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Blue Comet

As you requested, this 3 year old fuzzy photo shows my layout Power Center location near the room entrance. Note the blue flex conduit extended over the door frame to carry the railpower wiring bus and turnout wires to the layout side opposite the Power Center. I had just about completed a rough-in of the principal wire runs before covering with plywood. I prefer to do as much wiring as possible while standing upright.

 

 

 

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Post below---topside schematic showing turnout toggles, panel meters and Power Guards. Simplified turnout operation--the direction the toggle handle leans on the schematic indicates the actual position of the turnout,i.e; whether "thru" on the mainline or "out" on a siding or spur.

The top row is AC Volt Meters and bottom row is Amp meters. Meter on the top right is a DC Volt Meter monitoring the 12 volts for the turnout circuit.

Green "bug-eyed" lighted boxes are PowerGuards. Red light flashes upon spikes, which minor ones happen frequently.

Last edited by Dewey Trogdon
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