Feeder lines to E-Z track

[Ed Kunkel]

I need to feed more power to my E-Z track.  Rather than solder feeder wire from the bus wire to the track,  I bought Atlas #842 terminal joiners with wire to connect to the bus.  Although they are code 100, they don't seem to want to mate.  Do I need to resign to soldering or buying rerailers with wire to get more power to the track?
Thanks
Ed

[Doneldon]

Ed-

No, you don't need to solder or use prefab terminals, but you will have to fight with your track a little. First, you must remove the existing rail joiners They don't like to give up their responsibilities so they're a devil to remove without damaging the track. But it can be done. Second, the new rail joiners with wires attached sometimes balk at going on easily and need a little encouragement.

Removing existing rail joiners works best for me if I spread the open end of the joiner a little with a small, flat-blade screwdriver and then gently twist the rail joiner with a needle-nose pliers, making very sure that I'm holding the rail so it doesn't get popped out of its "spikes." A couple of missing spikes won't hurt anything but you don't want a strip of rail without supporting spikes for any distance. If you accidentally pull the rail out of the track section, just slide it back in, gently, making sure that the foot at the bottom of the rail passes under the plastic retainers, what I called "spikes."

Installing the new rail joiners can be a little tough because they are designed to be very tight on the rails. I find that using a piece of cloth or very thin leather (I have a piece from an old wallet) helps me to push the rail joiner on without slicing my delicate hands. But then I'm kind of a wuss. A real man wouldn't need to worry about such hapless appendages! Whatever, don't try to loosen the rail joiners grip to get it on more easily because that defeats the whole point of using the joiner to feed electricity to your railroad.

More important is the length of the wires attached to those new rail joiners. That is very fine wire, #22 ga or so, and it should be as short as possible to avoid excessive power loss. The wires as sold are too long, IMHO. I use an underboard buss of #14 ga wire with feeders no more than 12" long. Six inches is better. What a straight line, eh?

Welcome to model railroading. I'm sure you'll like it and I look forward to your future posts.
                                                                                                                                                              -- D

[Ed Kunkel]

Thank you, Mr. Doneldon,
What you described is close to what I attempted.  I need to add the suggestion of using a cloth gripper and then the unspoken "patience".
I was hoping to rewire in a few hours but it looks like a few weeks.  But with the snow weather in New Jersey as it is, I do have some time before the spring drives me outside.
Thanks again,
Ed

[OldTimer]

One other thing you can do is file the end of the rail a just a little to remove any burrs that may be there and also to help the rail joiner get started.  File parallel to the rail, not across it.
OldTimer

[Doneldon]

Ed-

I forgot to mention that I use a tiny bit of conductive grease in every rail joint. The stuff I use is actually sold as a lubricant for light bulbs (of all voltages) but it works fine to keep air, moisture and other destructive things from fouling rail joints which would otherwise impede electrical conductivity across the joint. Auto parts stores and larger hardware stores will sell this or a similar product.
                                                                                                                       -- D

[Doneldon]

Ed-

Stranded wire of a given gauge has greater ampacity than solid wire of the same size. Anything which won't get in the electricity's way is my choice.

If you decide to solder feeders to track, a good idea though every section seems a but much, you'll have an awful lot of wires to connect under the table. So many suitcase connectors makes them an expensive proposition. Soldering short feeders to an under-table buss of at least 16 ga wire (14 ga is better, even 12 ga on a large pike) really isn't much trouble. If you decide to go ahead and feed every track section, put the feeders for two adjacent track sections close to the rail joiner between them and just have one under-table splice for both feeders. Sometimes you can even connect more than two feeders at the same place if you have parallel tracks close together or tracks at different elevations above and below one another.

Money-saving hint: Use inexpensive extension cords from a home center for your buss wires. Extension cords are a lot cheaper per foot than wire off of the spools in the hardware store and they're stranded which gives them that extra ampacity. Don't cut them at junctions; just remove 1/4" - 1/2" of the insulation, wrap the bare end of your feeder around the buss wire to make sure you have a strong mechanical connection, and then solder. Use liquid electrical tape to paint the connections to insulate them. Some people omit this step but I think that's a bad idea.

If you use terminal blocks, it's especially important to use stranded wire as those feeders will be longer than just through the table and a few inches to the bus wires. I hope you have the plates which allow you to use only one terminal on your terminal block for your buss wire and all the rest for feeders. Or, one side can all be for one buss and the other side for the second buss wire. If you lack the plates, just wrap bare wire from screw to screw until they are all connected. Then connect your feeders.

Good luck with your project and be sure to keep us informed about how you are doing.
                                                                                                                                                     -- D

[Ed Kunkel]

D---
Since you expressed interest in hearing my conclusion and end of saga,  I have decided to go the soldering route.  I've just got a new Digitrax Xtra running and new decoding completed and will take on the soldering shortly.
I was influenced by my train shop owner and confidence in my friend's soldering capability.
Thanks for your interest.  We truly have a unique fraternity.
Ed