Barchester
A 00 Gauge Model Railway
Electrics & Control.
This page covers the wiring up of your layout and then the system which will control it. I know how I have wired my layout but I am no means qualified to teach others how to wire theirs, especially with DCC being used more and more, so I have searched the internet for pages that will give you all the information you will ever need to get you started and beyond. All the links were current as of February 2006.
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Control Panels.
Another alternative is to have the switches along the baseboard edge, opposite the sections they feed. This method is very economical of wire and if not too many switches are involved then it should work quite satisfactorily.
On a larger or more complicated layout this method can quickly become confusing and you would be involved with a lot of dodging up and down the layout to get at the switches. In this situation it obviously makes more sense to have all our switch gear and controller in a more central position. This arrangement need only be a row or two of appropriately numbered or colour coded switches to your choice. There are switch mounting consoles on the market which are very easy to install and make for a very neat job. Switches are clipped into the console and then the console itself is screwed to the baseboard with all the wiring coming up from underneath, making a very neat job of it. You can add additional consoles as and when the layout grows.
If your track plan is known before construction begins then all your switch gear can be mounted on a flat panel, again with either numbers or colour coding, and this can be installed in the baseboard fascia, or in a convenient position on the baseboard front edge.
For myself I prefer a mimic track plan on my control panel, with the switches mounted in an appropriate position on the plan itself. This not only applies to switches supplying feeds but also to those operating turnouts. One can then see at a glance exactly which switch has to be operated to power the desired running road for the chosen train movement. If you are using a cased speed controller it can be mounted alongside your control panel and the feed and return wires connected to the panel either by using a 2-pin plug and socket or feeding the wires through a small hole and thus to a connecting block. If you are using an uncased controller then this can be mounted very neatly on the panel itself, a good choice. A hand held speed controller will obviously need a cable plus plug and socket to connect to the panel.
In case you haven't seen this elsewhere in these pages this is how my control panel looks with the hand held controller. It's pretty rough at the moment because I have been altering the track plan and therefore the control panel. I will have to make another one at a later time but it will be to the same design.Click on image for a larger picture.
As for the panel itself it can be a simple thing mounted into the fascia, as mentioned before, or built into a box type frame which can then be mounted on the baseboard edge. It all depends on the arrangement of your layout and choice. The materials for the construction of a control panel include plywood, MDF sheeting, plastic sheet or aluminium sheet. Once more it is personal choice and what you feel most comfortable working with.
As a footnote with regard to a separate mains transformer, if that is what you are using, then it is always better, from a safety point of view, to have the transformer mounted away from the control panel.
If you feel you need a better explanation then click on this link. Control Panels.
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DC
Automatic Signalling - Using Relays : A good article by Steve Chapman.
Automatic Signalling : 3 and 4 aspect.
Cable Calculator : Use this on-line calculator to estimate the current carrying capacity of any cable that has copper conductors.
Calculator ; Current limiting resistors for LED's
Circuit Symbols : Explanation of most of the symbols you may come across on electrical circuit diagrams.
Coach Lighting : Battery operated.
Controlling Trains And Points : Although from a commercial shop this is solid information and shows how easy it is to control and operate both locomotives and points on your model railway.
Controllers - A Review : Looking at output of various types of controller.
Electrical Bits : From Brian Lambert. Lots of help here with plenty of diagrams to illustrate the explanations. Very easy to understand, well worth visiting.
Electromagnetic Uncouplers : For N gauge.
Electronics : An interesting article from the New Railway Modellers site. Covers a fair bit of ground.
Electronics : Covering a lot of ground for those of you who are interested in this subject.
Fulgurex Point Motors : Wiring them up.
Gaugemaster Downloads : Some good downloads here, in PDA format, with explanations and wiring diagrams.
Layout Electrics : Conventional layout wiring (Analogue).
LED Circuitry Tutorial : A simple tutorial on getting your LED's up and running without blowing them.
Lighting : Flicker free lighting, DC or DCC. Very small, even fits N gauge coaches. From Bromsgrove Models.
Memory Wire : A really good article on this fascinating material. May well change the way you operate signals, crossing gates etc.
Meters : For measuring DCC Current.
Power Bus Kit - No Soldering : Here's a kit from Express Models that enables you to set up your power bus without having to use a soldering iron. Handy if soldering gives you the heebie jeebies.
Power Supplies : From clapped out computer bits.
Practical Electronics : A good read to give you a better understanding of what's happening with your electrics, easy to understand.
Reversing Loops - Wiring : A clear explanation of this sometimes thorny problem.
Reverse Loops & Triangles : More information to help if you have one of these and not sure how to wire it.
Soldering : Help with this most necessary technique.
Solenoid Point Motors, Switching, Wiring & Information : Some useful information here.
Switches : Confused by all those different letters, SPST, SPDT, DPST, DPDT, what they are and what they do. Here are all the answers.
Track Circuits : There are DC and DCC circuits on this site so this link will also be found on the DCC page.
Traffic Lights : This is a 20 output sequencing control circuit with the required parts available at the site.
Wiring For Operation : A good article by Steve Chapman.
Top Of Page.
DCC
An Overview Of DCC : Quite a comprehensive overview in terms we can understand by Steve Jones.
Automatic Signalling : 3 and 4 aspect.
Bachmann DCC : Loads of information here and some very good downloadable PDF files.
Block Occupancy Detector : Low cost and high sensitivity.
Cable Calculator : Use this on-line calculator to estimate the current carrying capacity of any cable that has copper conductors.
Converting Bachmann 'Sprinter' To DCC : A pdf download from Modern Railway Modelling for the Class 159.
Dapol Locomotives : Fitting decoders to their locomotives. This information on Dapol's own web pages.
DCC : Digital Command Control. A comprehensive article from Brian Lambert.
DCCWiki : This is an encyclopedia of DCC for use in railway modelling.
DCC Comparison Chart : Very handy for looking at the differences between systems.
DCC Decoder Installation : This site has fitting instructions for many 4mm RTR models.
DCC Decoder Testers : Read about them and why you should have one. You can then see the DTK one at Bromsgrove Models in the link below.
DCC Decoder Tester : Have a look at this great time saver from Bromsgrove Models.
DCC Fitting Service : A list of dealers from Bachmann who provide this service.
DCC For Dummies : A treasure chest of information for those new to DCC and also those not so new.
DCC - Frequently Asked Questions : Some good information here from Bromsgrove Models. DCC itself, wiring, track and points, decoders and plenty more.
DCC Layouts : A whole raft of layouts for you to see how DCC has been used by others.
DCC Systems : A comparison table of the different available DCC systems. Very interesting if you are thinking of going over to DCC or upgrading your present system.
Decoder Terms : An explanation.
Decoders : What they are, what they do and how they work.
Decoders : Comparison matrix
Decoder Fitting : Hornby's own site and instructions for fitting decoders to some of their models.
Electromagnetic Uncouplers : For N gauge.
Introduction To DCC : A different approach to showing what DCC is all about from DCCWiki.
Installing Decoder : How to install a decoder into Bachmann's Class 108
Kits : For DCC and DC equipment to make yourself.
Memory Wire : A really good article on this fascinating material. Shows how to use it and exactly what it will do.
More On DCC : More help with the latest DCC systems from Brian Lambert's site and with very practical diagrams and photographs.
Model Railroading With DCC : An American site with much technical information and projects.
Power Bus Kit - No Soldering : A handy kit for putting in your power bus if soldering isn't your thing.
Prodigy Advance DCC : New DCC system by Gaugemaster, read all about it here.
Program Track : Article about this important item of DCC.
Reverse Loops : Automatic module from Lenz
Sound : Fitting DCC sound to a Bachmann Class 45.
Soundtraxx : Multi-Train sound system for DCC.
Tips For Using DCC : Quite a comprehensive article from Tried and True Trains. Well worth reading.
Track Circuits : There are DC and DCC circuits at this link so it will also show in the DC section.
Uncoupling : With Digital Command Control.
Windows Software : For DCC Control.
Wiring for DCC by Allan Gartner : Digital Command Control, that's what this site is all about. Allan is an electrical and computer engineer.
