DCC Wire Busses

[ebtbob]

Good Morning All,

       I use 12 gauge wire for my busses and have a simple question.   Where my yard buss runs,  under the layout,   I may be faced into forming a T so that the buss can be attached to the panel where my power shields are located.   Am I asking for trouble by splicing wire into the buss?

[r.cprmier]

No; because you are talking about AC for one thing; for another, you are, in reality, parallelling your conductors anyway.  Make sure of your connections-double-check your wiring always-and do a correct job of either soldering or suitcase applicaton.

Rich

[Jay]

I agree with Rich.  And ensuring that your connections are done well will save alot of troubleshooting later on down the line.  Good information Rich!

[ebtbob]

          Thanks guys,   the buss wiring is completed and about 1/3 of the mainline wiring is finished.

[ebtnut]

Rich mentioned suitcase connectors.  Are you all familiar with what they are?  They are a mechanical splice device that requires no solder.  They come in a variety of sizes to accommodate most any wire connection you need.  We used them on our old club and they really made wiring a lot less of a chore.

[ebtbob]

I am aware of them and do not like them.  You have to be extremely careful on how you crimp them.  I tried 10 of them on my On30 railroad and 8 did not make contact.   My club has banned them.   I prefer to solder the wires together.   My original post was because I was concerned about soldering the wires together,  not in light of currect flow as much as the signals going thru the wire to the command station.   Anyway....my question was answered,  busses are in place and half of the rewire job is almost done.

[SteamGene]

Just in case some don't know it, there is a wire stripper which works in the middle of the wire, making it very quick and easy to strip a bit of insulation from the buss to allow a feeder to connect to it. 
Gene

[Jake]

^Could you post a link to those? I could use a pair! 

[Mike]

Yse! Please. Me, too!- Mike S.

[SteamGene]

Go to Harbor Freight.  If you want to help the B&O Museum, do a Goodsearch under B&O, but since they don't seem to want to help themselves, it's >>www.harborfreight.com<<.
Gene

[ebtbob]

Gene,

      I went to your link,  and looked at the pictured tools and maybe I missed something.   I went to the search box and typed in wire strippers.  When the list of tools came up with pix,  the second one down called the heavy duty automatic wire stripper is like the tool I use.   The jaws have a series of holes in them.   Pick the right hole and in the middle of a buss wire I can separate the cover and expose a 1/8 to 1/4 inch area of wire to attach track leads to.   If you pick a hole too small,  the tool will sever the wire.

[SteamGene]

Bob,
The one I have has a yellow handle and looks very much like a regular wire stripper.  But the jaws strip the wire from the center, without having to put the wire through a hole.  It is possible to cut the wire.  I've done that two or three times, each time in an awkward place to hold the tool and also when I was just learing to use the tool.
Try searching for a local store - they have quite a few - and call a human being.  That's what I did.  "I need the stripper that lets me take insulation off the middle of a piece of wire."  I'll look at the tool later and see if there is a product number or anything on it.  Unfortunately the packaging is long gone.
Gene

[r.cprmier]

Bob and Gene;
Three manufacturers come to mind:
Ideal, Xuron, and Vaco.  These are a tool line that are oriented around electrical work.  You might want to peruse a Klein catalogue, also.  With the exception of Xuron, these other lines can be found in your friendly neighborhood electrical supply house.

RIch

[ebtbob]

Good Afternoon All,

      I have two different styles of the Strip Master with different jaws.   One I use to create an opening in the insulation of the buss wires.   The other is used for everything else.   

[SteamGene]

That's it, Bob.  One strips the ends easily and WILL strip the middle, sometimes.  The other stirps the middle easily. 
Gene