Wiring Sections of N Track

[jmoor98904]

Hello,

Just getting started in the hobby and have a question that has not been answered yet. I have heard that some of the "Pros" recommend wiring each section of the track. Is this correct or can i just use the one connection on the corner that comes with my track? If i need to wire more track is there a simply way to wire it or does anyone have any tips on soldering wire to nscale? gauge of wire etc...

Also off topic the corner connection piece that you hook your controller up to does that connection snap or something? mine is barely hanging on and the slightest move the wire falls out.

Thanks
Jack

[gatrhumpy]

Jack,
   If you have a simple oval, then one track connection will do. If you start to add a yard, multiple switches, etc. and your layout is bigger than I would say 2X4, then you would need some more feeder wires. Some people go all out and put feeder wires to every piece of track. However, that can get tedious pretty quickly.

As far as the loose connection, then you might want to solder the wires together directly to the track. Check on youtube on how to do this.

[brokemoto]

If the only track that you plan to use is that which comes with your train set, you should be allright using the  one connexion.  If you plan to expand it, you may need to add boosters.  If and how many boosters that you might need would depend on how much expansion that you might do.

The kind of expansion that you might plan will dictate what would be necessary to do.

If you plan to expand to a "cab Control" system or plan to add reversing loops or wyes, it will be necessary to insulate certain sections of track and add feeder wires and/or boosters.  If you plan to use metal frog turnouts, additional insulation and wiring is necessary.   B-mann E-Z TRAK turnouts are metal frog, but are gapped at the factory.  Thus, if you use them for simple spurs or passing tracks, there is no need for additional insulation or wiring.  If you plan to use them in wyes or reversing loops, it will be necessary to insulate sections of track and add wiring.

Insulating E-Z TRAK is not the E-Z-est thing to do.   The B-mann track comes with metal rail joiners affixed to the track sections.  It is difficult to get these things off the track so that you might replace them with insulated rail joiners.   You risk mangling the track as you try to remove the metal rail joiners.  Assuming that you are successful in the removal of the metal rail joiners, you will find it difficult to make the plastic rail joiners go onto the E-Z TRAK sections to render a good, smooth joint.  In sections of my pike where I have B-mann track and want to gap or wire, I use a transition piece made out of Atlas SNAP-TRAK or flex.  I use metal rail joiners on the end that mates to the B-mann track and use the plastic on the Atlas end.  It is necessary to shim under the cork roadbed to raise the Atlas track to the level of the Bachpersonn track.

I understand what Bachmann is doing when it affixes the rail joiners as securely to the track sections as it does.  One of the drawback of sectional track is that the rail joiners become fatigued, as time passes.  This causes lack of continuity in the conduit resulting in stalled trains.  Sadly, pinching the fatigued joiner with a pair of pliers does not seem to improve matters, most of the time, at least.  B-mann's method of fastening the joiners provides more contact surface and lengthens the time before a joiner becomes completely fatigued and disrupts the continuity of the electrical conduit, which, in the case of our model trains, is the rails.  Still, B-mann would make it easier to  use their track if they would sell insulating sections.  It could even be half or quarter pieces of curved and straight, with either one, or both rails insulated.

Many people do solder their track sections.  This is done more with flex track than with sectional, but I have seen it done with sectional.  While it could be done with proper care and use of heat sinks, it is necessary to be careful not to damage the plastic sections of track with the soldering iron.  Thus, unless you are a real pro at soldering, I would shy from taking a soldering iron to sectional track from any manufacturer.  Atlas does sell metal rail joiners with feeder wires already soldered to them.  Kato sells similar rail joiners for its UNITRAK line.  In addition, it is not difficult to solder wire to ordinary metal rail joiners.  Any of the above would be difficult to use with B-mann track, as, again, it is difficult to remove the rail joiners without mangling the rail thus rendering the particular section useless.  If you want to add booster/jumper sections, B-mann does sell terminal sections of various kinds for its E-Z TRAK line.

Perhaps B-mann could do a quick and inexpensive solution to the adaptability problem by selling a small straight adapter section in a manner similar to what Kato sells for its line of track.  You do not need the adapter section for the Kato, as a rule, but it is there.  In most cases, you flex or sectional track will mate with the Kato, but you can not do this using the Kato rail joiners.  Kato uses a peculiar type of rail joiner.  I suspect that they designed it to address the fatiguing problem, but it is not as effective as B-mann's for preserving continuity.  If B-mann sold the adapter section, it would be necessary, still, to shim your track of other manufacture, at some place.

Regarding your problem with the plug in the terminal section......................B-mann uses a male receptor in the track section and a female plug from the power source.  Sadly, the plug is none too snug.  Thus, it will fall out or lose contact at the slightest disturbance.  B-mann does sell a long straight section with wires soldered to the track section.  These wires run under the section.  The best use of this section is on a train table or bench work of some sort where you drill holes in the subroadbed/table/benchwork and run the wires under the table/benchwork to your power source.  You can twist the wire ends together and use  wire nuts to secure the connexion, or, if you want more flexibility, you could use cinch-jones or similar connectors.

Another note:  In these days of DCC, cab control is becoming obsolete, if it is not, already.  There are some who persist in using it, mostly because it is what they have had for a number of years and the cost of adding decoders to their power roster is prohibitive.  There are other cases where cab control might work better than DCC, but they are few and unusual.  This is coming from someone who does not use DCC.