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This is the only way to work on under the layout wiring. Turn the layout on it's side and sit on a roll around stool. Which was good because my knees are really bothering me. I had to finish up a rewire and add the DCS TIU. Of course this is not practical for most people's layouts. I built this one to be folded up into a 4' x 8' x 16" (aprox) box on casters. This was so I would have access if I need the garage for something, also to move the layout. It does not have now, but will have, a top which will be split in such as to make a 2' tall backdrop for two sides of the layout. The track is on 4' x 8' and when folded out makes a 6' x 10'. I can't do much of the laying on your back and working overhead anymore.

 

 

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Last edited by Charlie Howard
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Originally Posted by Rod Stewart:

Nice orderly wiring work by the way!

 

Rod

It took a lot of thinking to figure it out. I wanted to be able to service it. Find a wire if I needed to find a specific wire. I was going to label the wires at the terminal blocks, (center ones) with flags, and went to Home Depot to pick up some cable clamps and shrink tube, I discovered white shrink tube, so I used that on the ends, every pair is marked with the correct number ie: 1-L (feeder 1 lower level). I just wrote on the plywood with different colors of sharpies to number feeders, switches, un-couplers, and label them. I hope later when I need to fix, add, change anything this will help. I also used terminal blocks at both ends. So I only have a short feeder wire from rail itself to term block. That way if I need to pull up a piece of track I just disconnect at term block and don't have to pull all the wire out.

Very nice job Charlie!!

 

What I did after building my 54'X32' around-the-walls bench work was to run all of my bus wires for track power under the front edge of the benchwork.  

 

Holes are drilled after track and roadbed are installed, then track feeder wires are roughly measured from the point they attach to the rails to the edge of the layout as I install them.  Once attached to the track the wires are fed through the holes, under the layout.  For feeders that are beyond reach from the layout edge, I use one of those extension poles for stringing holiday lights with the hook on the end to pull the pre-measured wires to the edge of the bench work.

 

At that point I can sit on a chair and attach the track feeder wires to the proper bus wire for power all around the layout.  

 

I used a lot less wire than I would have for DCS Star pattern wiring, and it is much neater too.  I'll do the same for accessories as I add them.

 

Maybe not the best way but it was easier sitting in a chair to wire than crawling under the whole layout.

Last edited by Traindiesel
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