I've been wanting you to explain all this on your layout for awhile now :) thank you watching your videos made me get my old lima set down for my 6 year old and now have mountains and town scenery thanks to you. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for taking the time to go through this. It has really consolidated my knowledge. I am about to start constructing my baseboards but also considering wiring details etc. as well.
Another well presented & informative video from yours truly. Cheers mate, on DC at the moment but hopefully will swap over as the layout develops. keep the videos coming, really helpful as always. Cheers Ian
Great informational video. Your lighted coaches look fantastic. That is quite the monster power supply. I don't think your signals will be choking for power anytime soon.
Excellent video mate very well explained,I've not got round to wiring up my dcc system Ecos esu yet but will do in the autumn and just refer back to your videos for help. Cheers Kev
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside. It's fine for a small layout, but you might want to use something smaller.
AHH an A level in electronics,wish I had one of those!! did city and guilds in electrics,but the best thing to do is just try stuff out.Great vid and the layout looks amazing, the lighting in the coaches is very good not to bright or to dim.
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside.
My grandpa had a DC layout about the size of yours so I get what you mean when you say DCC makes it simpler when it gets big! It'll take for ever to take apart!
Generally people who build N gauge layouts wire them up the same as OO scale layouts as the N scale locos still require 12V to run. Wiring points up to dcc really improves the running of the trains. However if you can't solder then I would just go with insulfrog points. I would also suggest you learn how to solder as it's required in many aspects of building a model railway.
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out of ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside.
The 3 way way point is more complex, you have to treat it as two sets of points on the same piece of track. It's been over 3 years since I wired mine up and to be honest I can't remember how I did it.
Great to see the old layout and uninsulated loft. On the subject of the DCC bus wiring you were careful to point out that it wasn't a ring circuit, but wouldn't a ring give potentially lower impedance for trains further away from the controller wiring?
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out of ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside. I think the dropper wire is 1.2mm.
fantastic video Richard, I'm just about to wire mine up now, done the droppers but not added the buzz wire, but loads of help and advice from this, don't suppose you could explain how you program your locos, I know you can set them for acceleration and braking etc etc etc, but any advice would be appreciated cheers andy
The Lenz system is fantastic for what it is. I do however like the Digitrax system too. Having used both I actually cant say either is better because they are both very high end DCC systems I did start off with a Hornby select just when DCC was first introduced to the market but quickly moved on to the Prodigy Advance unit. A quick note for anyone wanting to get into DCC but wondering how complicated it is well I would say DCC is so much easier than DC due to the fact that you make all the tracks live rather than any insulated sections.
I've recently begun to get back into model trains after many years. 40-plus to be more accurate. I used to have a small, well landscaped DC setup when I was young. Wiring and operation were very simple. Approaching retirement, I now have the time (and resources) to go hog-wild. Being new to DCC, and not having begun construction of my layout yet (it's still in the conceptual and planning stages), I've spent many hours reading and studying the changes in the hobby to make sure I avoid as many catastrophes and costly errors as possible. I've watched hundreds of "how-to" videos on RUclips but I have to say, yours are far and above the most informative and helpful I've found. Please keep making them! I have one question though; have you given thought to wiring your signals into your point motors for automatic signalling? I'll be running a moderate sized passenger station as well as a couple of large freight yards and signalling is a significant part of my planned layout. I was wondering the what the best ways to might be to accomplish automatic signalling. Great work. Thanks again!
hercdriver08 Thanks for the comment. I'll be looking into wiring some signals to points but only the ones with directional indicators. The few signals I do have are currently wired to work automatically on a time basis and use the trains to trigger them. I have another howto in the making about how they work which I'll try to get finished before christmas.
Was there any particular reason that you went with Lenz over Digitrax at the time? I'm looking into the Digitrax systems, and I really like the Loconet setup, but not so much on the throttle design.
I can a bit found out using Rong volt iron. If use insulfrog point i would wire each track of it to the bus. Is the bus better out or wire or copper tape what size wire do u use(the thick wire) is that needed or is the thick Peco/gaugemaster ok to use. Dose the splice some within instructions or are they oblivious how to use.
Both are good. The gaugemaster prodigy advance is more high tech, but the hornby elite simpler and easier for the beginner. Just comes down to what you prefer.
Hi Richard. I assume you solder dropper-wires to your track (rather than, say, use pre-soldered rail joiners) so as to maintain a reliable connection. So, I wondered why you chose the splice and spade connectors; I have seen other users prefer not to use these connectors because they believe the connections are not so reliable as soldered joints. Have you experienced any problems with splice and spade connectors?
I really like your videos and find them easy to follow. I'm new to the hobby and so I have some basic doubts, like.... does only one pair on wheels on the loco sense the current from the tracks? Reason being, if more than one set of wheels are used to pick up the current, then there could be a conflict when changing blocks, or when in a reverse loop situation when polarities are switched. In the second case, the two sets of wheels could sense opposite polarities at the same time! I'm sure that will never happen, but I need to clarify the doubt. Thanks, Ganny.
Hi. Great video. I have a few questions for, if possible, to answer. How much money do you usually spend on trains and carraiges etc? I have a problem, i have a flying scotsman and all the time the front wheel of the back engine keeps lifting up and wobbling which means all the time it derails. Please help me with this. Is there any way to solve this. Ie. tightening something etc. as im quite new to model trains. Thanks
Another really useful episode, but I have one question....what are the wire sizes of your BUS and Dropper wires? Most of the information around seems to refer to the American AWG system. Can you shed some light on this please?
Hi,I picked up on your video that you do not 'loop' your bus wire back but leave the ends capped off, is there any reason for that? I am just about to re-wire my 8x4 and was advised by CM3 Models where I got the wire from to loop it back to the DCC control power system. Andy
I have to be honest and say I used your experience and vids when I was looking for a system... I got the lenz also!... I also got the wifi and point add ons for computer control... Eventually. Lol. Btw, am I right in saying you can't run trains on the prog track? Cheers, Lee
Are you not a fan of the DCC sound things. I noticed when you turned the light off your Intercity rake seems to have the same coloured roof the First Open one i bought yesterday has a black roof and my intercity 125's have a grey one was this normal to have different variations or colours
I am using n gauge and want to use copper tape as cant solder but see ur slice and the bus is huge wire wood it be needed in n . If wire all 3 set of the point to a separate bus would i need seep motor. In n if using elite and pos railmaster with about 5 loco at once wood can i use dcc points
i was just wondering, you said that your BUS wire isn't a continuous loop, why is this? and would it affect the performance if it was a continuous loop? i'm thinking of building a DCC layout myself.
Im not to sure who makes the flying scotsman and i brought it of an exhibition stall around a year and a half ago. And also it was second hand when i got it and not sure how old it was before i got it. It is the front wheel of the engine carrage , i dont know what its called ( it is the part that has the coal bit on it and has the engine in it and its at the back of the 2 parts it comes with ie. the front which is the long part which has the pick ups and the back part with the engine in it) ??
An attic is quite good place to build, but has its problems. Advantages.. Plenty of space Good security Doesn't matter if you make a mess Quiet Disadvantages Cold in winter, hot in summer If you're tall headroom can be a problem Lots of lighting or a window is required
Can you tell me where you get those connectors & how to use them? I've just bought nce powercab & they look perfect for a clumsy person like me to keep it simple
I've been wanting you to explain all this on your layout for awhile now :) thank you watching your videos made me get my old lima set down for my 6 year old and now have mountains and town scenery thanks to you. Keep up the good work.
I still cant get over how beautifully you have weathered your locos. They look amazing!
I don't have a system at all, but you have a very nice system, kudos to you for all the work you've put into making your system and this video.
Very interesting video...I found the wiring on my layout a real challenge..But videos like this really help.
The nostalgia of sat watching this on my nexus seven in 2012. Man I feel lucky to of had this content to watch.
Thanks for taking the time to go through this. It has really consolidated my knowledge. I am about to start constructing my baseboards but also considering wiring details etc. as well.
a very good and well explained video on the electrical workings of the layout and will be very useful for those who are unsure.
terry
Another well presented & informative video from yours truly. Cheers mate, on DC at the moment but hopefully will swap over as the layout develops. keep the videos coming, really helpful as always.
Cheers
Ian
Excellent video, every time I watch one I learned something new.
Keep them coming best wishes Steve
Another great video, it is really helpful as I am at the stage of powering my layout and soldering the track to the bus.
You make it all sound so simple, Great Work, Well Done!
Great informational video. Your lighted coaches look fantastic. That is quite the monster power supply. I don't think your signals will be choking for power anytime soon.
You and daveclass have the best model railroads I've ever seen
Well explained Richard , should help a lot of Modellers
Thanx for the informative video. I found it very useful, especially the bus wires and the droppers to power the track.
Excellent video mate very well explained,I've not got round to wiring up my dcc system Ecos esu yet but will do in the autumn and just refer back to your videos for help.
Cheers Kev
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside. It's fine for a small layout, but you might want to use something smaller.
First thought...that double header in the intro looks magnificent!!! Great vid!
Great videos. I'm quite liking having them playing in the background while I work on other stuff.
AHH an A level in electronics,wish I had one of those!! did city and guilds in electrics,but the best thing to do is just try stuff out.Great vid and the layout looks amazing, the lighting in the coaches is very good not to bright or to dim.
Cool vid, i use four transformers, one for the track ,one for the point decoders -motors ,one for the lighting & one for the dcc cranes,
Excellent video, great details, and the layout is looking rear good, keep the video coming Thanks. Gerry from the USA
I love the opening scene with the Network Southeast Doubleheader!
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside.
Thnx for posting m8.....well explained as usual....better than many manuals.....lol....looking forward to more vids.....
Depending on what lights you want to use will determine if you need resistors. Some lights already have resistors built in.
My grandpa had a DC layout about the size of yours so I get what you mean when you say DCC makes it simpler when it gets big! It'll take for ever to take apart!
Generally people who build N gauge layouts wire them up the same as OO scale layouts as the N scale locos still require 12V to run.
Wiring points up to dcc really improves the running of the trains. However if you can't solder then I would just go with insulfrog points. I would also suggest you learn how to solder as it's required in many aspects of building a model railway.
okay. Just want to say your videos are amazing and you have done a fab job
Another really great vid. Thanks for taking the time. Your layout is looking fab BTW. cheers.
Good video once again they have all been very helpful to me and have given me some ideas on my layout thanks
great vid electrics can be complicated, but u make it work well done would like to see a layout update soon
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out of ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside.
The 3 way way point is more complex, you have to treat it as two sets of points on the same piece of track. It's been over 3 years since I wired mine up and to be honest I can't remember how I did it.
Great video Richard the layout looks great cheers Ian
Didn't ask for this, but a great surprise :D Thank you for all the details!
Great video very very helpful... Cheers I have learnt so much from this.........
Great introduction. Well narated and illustrated.
Great to see the old layout and uninsulated loft. On the subject of the DCC bus wiring you were careful to point out that it wasn't a ring circuit, but wouldn't a ring give potentially lower impedance for trains further away from the controller wiring?
Sound at the video start was amazing!
The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out of ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside. I think the dropper wire is 1.2mm.
fantastic video Richard, I'm just about to wire mine up now, done the droppers but not added the buzz wire, but loads of help and advice from this, don't suppose you could explain how you program your locos, I know you can set them for acceleration and braking etc etc etc, but any advice would be appreciated cheers andy
The Lenz system is fantastic for what it is. I do however like the Digitrax system too. Having used both I actually cant say either is better because they are both very high end DCC systems I did start off with a Hornby select just when DCC was first introduced to the market but quickly moved on to the Prodigy Advance unit. A quick note for anyone wanting to get into DCC but wondering how complicated it is well I would say DCC is so much easier than DC due to the fact that you make all the tracks live rather than any insulated sections.
How old is your flying scotsman and who makes it? Are you refering to the small wheel under the cab of one of the front wheels?
The veg is made by noch. You can buy it from gaugemaster, think their shop is called the engine shed or something similar.
I haven’t really looked into as it's for dc layouts.
I've recently begun to get back into model trains after many years. 40-plus to be more accurate. I used to have a small, well landscaped DC setup when I was young. Wiring and operation were very simple. Approaching retirement, I now have the time (and resources) to go hog-wild. Being new to DCC, and not having begun construction of my layout yet (it's still in the conceptual and planning stages), I've spent many hours reading and studying the changes in the hobby to make sure I avoid as many catastrophes and costly errors as possible. I've watched hundreds of "how-to" videos on RUclips but I have to say, yours are far and above the most informative and helpful I've found. Please keep making them!
I have one question though; have you given thought to wiring your signals into your point motors for automatic signalling? I'll be running a moderate sized passenger station as well as a couple of large freight yards and signalling is a significant part of my planned layout. I was wondering the what the best ways to might be to accomplish automatic signalling.
Great work. Thanks again!
hercdriver08
Thanks for the comment. I'll be looking into wiring some signals to points but only the ones with directional indicators. The few signals I do have are currently wired to work automatically on a time basis
and use the trains to trigger them. I have another howto in the making about how they work which I'll try to get finished before christmas.
I twisted the long lengths of cable for the point motors just to try and keep things tidy.
Very nice layout. Thanks for sharing
Was there any particular reason that you went with Lenz over Digitrax at the time? I'm looking into the Digitrax systems, and I really like the Loconet setup, but not so much on the throttle design.
I will be doing a howto video for the signal control board later this year.
I can a bit found out using Rong volt iron. If use insulfrog point i would wire each track of it to the bus. Is the bus better out or wire or copper tape what size wire do u use(the thick wire) is that needed or is the thick Peco/gaugemaster ok to use. Dose the splice some within instructions or are they oblivious how to use.
Hi Richard, very informative. What gauge bus wire do you use and is the same gauge wire ok for a smaller layout?
Andy
Thanks, I haven't done much recently. I might be able to an update at the end of the month.
I'll have to do separate video for that. I have one planned, just need the time to do it.
I bought mine from DCC supplies. That was over 4 years ago and it was about £400 including the power supply back then. It's a bit cheaper now.
Thanks, I've done a few other intros which will appear in the next few vids.
Both are good. The gaugemaster prodigy advance is more high tech, but the hornby elite simpler and easier for the beginner. Just comes down to what you prefer.
Surely the track 1/2 outputs on the model "D" can give 5v and -5v or anything 12v to -12v ?
Thanks Kev, just try to keep the wires neat and you'll be fine. Some of mine has become very tangled and confusing.
i like ur layout style, colour and texture. gj
I have a single slip on the junction. I've not yet got around to wiring it with point motors.
Hi Richard. I assume you solder dropper-wires to your track (rather than, say, use pre-soldered rail joiners) so as to maintain a reliable connection. So, I wondered why you chose the splice and spade connectors; I have seen other users prefer not to use these connectors because they believe the connections are not so reliable as soldered joints. Have you experienced any problems with splice and spade connectors?
Really beautiful layout.
I really like your videos and find them easy to follow. I'm new to the hobby and so I have some basic doubts, like.... does only one pair on wheels on the loco sense the current from the tracks? Reason being, if more than one set of wheels are used to pick up the current, then there could be a conflict when changing blocks, or when in a reverse loop situation when polarities are switched. In the second case, the two sets of wheels could sense opposite polarities at the same time! I'm sure that will never happen, but I need to clarify the doubt. Thanks, Ganny.
I get them from rapid electronics, the details are in the video.
Hi. Great video. I have a few questions for, if possible, to answer. How much money do you usually spend on trains and carraiges etc? I have a problem, i have a flying scotsman and all the time the front wheel of the back engine keeps lifting up and wobbling which means all the time it derails. Please help me with this. Is there any way to solve this. Ie. tightening something etc. as im quite new to model trains. Thanks
What thickness in mm are the dropper wires and the bus wires?
Thank you had to re watch as my layout aint working due to shorting. I will have to re-do the wiring. Its the points im having trouble with
Another really useful episode, but I have one question....what are the wire sizes of your BUS and Dropper wires? Most of the information around seems to refer to the American AWG system. Can you shed some light on this please?
After seeing the crimson and cream coaches, do you still have the BR green deltic?
Yes I did have to on the lower parts on some of them.
Intercity Mk1s, Mk2s and Mk3s had black roofs. However this would get dirty and more of a grey colour with age.
can u wire up a bus wire for standard lighting off the accessory contacts on the Hornby R965 controller?
Hi,I picked up on your video that you do not 'loop' your bus wire back but leave the ends capped off, is there any reason for that?
I am just about to re-wire my 8x4 and was advised by CM3 Models where I got the wire from to loop it back to the DCC control power system. Andy
Thank you for your very helpful information.What DCC Controllers would you recommend because I can't chose between Gaugemaster or Hornby.
Thank you so much for this video just a quick question. How thick is the bus wire that goes around the layout?
Thanks for your help
I have to be honest and say I used your experience and vids when I was looking for a system... I got the lenz also!... I also got the wifi and point add ons for computer control... Eventually. Lol. Btw, am I right in saying you can't run trains on the prog track? Cheers, Lee
Are you not a fan of the DCC sound things. I noticed when you turned the light off your Intercity rake seems to have the same coloured roof the First Open one i bought yesterday has a black roof and my intercity 125's have a grey one was this normal to have different variations or colours
did you paint the cars black inside to prevent light bleed?
I am using n gauge and want to use copper tape as cant solder but see ur slice and the bus is huge wire wood it be needed in n . If wire all 3 set of the point to a separate bus would i need seep motor. In n if using elite and pos railmaster with about 5 loco at once wood can i use dcc points
You should be ok if it's looped. I didn't loop it to save wire as I would have had to loop all the way back to the beginning.
That will be ok to start with, no sure how powerful those units are though.
This might be a stupid question, but is there any risk of getting electric shocks from just having your bus wires cut off at the end?
Know you have a regulated supply, but could use a L7805 on your board which would convert 12V dc to 5V dc. Could save some expense for other people.
Challoch Junction Nothing wrong with making your own supply. A common one is to modify a computer power supply.
i was just wondering, you said that your BUS wire isn't a continuous loop, why is this? and would it affect the performance if it was a continuous loop? i'm thinking of building a DCC layout myself.
Im not to sure who makes the flying scotsman and i brought it of an exhibition stall around a year and a half ago. And also it was second hand when i got it and not sure how old it was before i got it. It is the front wheel of the engine carrage , i dont know what its called ( it is the part that has the coal bit on it and has the engine in it and its at the back of the 2 parts it comes with ie. the front which is the long part which has the pick ups and the back part with the engine in it) ??
What size is the bus wire and were do u get it from
Thanks I will be putting lights on my layout asap thanks for the help
What's it like building in a actic? The reason is I'm hoping to start an model oo gauge irish railway.
Enjoyed the Video. I have one question, why do you twist the cables?
An attic is quite good place to build, but has its problems.
Advantages..
Plenty of space
Good security
Doesn't matter if you make a mess
Quiet
Disadvantages
Cold in winter, hot in summer
If you're tall headroom can be a problem
Lots of lighting or a window is required
Where did you get the vegetable foliage from looks really detailed??
have you ever looked into brake on dc. i have found so much about it but not sure how to instigate it or if it works.
Great video and very informative
Is the 1amp from the outputs of the model d controller enough for lights and points?
Hello, what is the actual wire you are using as your bus wire? and where can you get it from? Many Thanks
you said that the bus wire isn't a loop, then wouldn't having two long pieces of wire be an unfinished circuit and not supply power?
Thanks this helped a lot on my layout, subscribed
Can you tell me where you get those connectors & how to use them? I've just bought nce powercab & they look perfect for a clumsy person like me to keep it simple