# NCE Power Cab Track Wiring.



## AdRockTrains

So, I just got my NCE power cab in the mail and I am reading the directions and the wiring section says to have feeder wires every 3 to 6 feet or track but ideally have a feeder on EVERY piece of rail. Uh... really? That's a lot of wiring. I thought DCC was going to make my life easier. 

Now, I run about 35 feet or so of track and the DC power pack that came with my Athearn starter set runs all that track, no problem. 

Is DCC really that much more needy? Sensitive? Is it time to invest in a soldering iron and a lot of wire?

Also, I am running all EZ track and had this wacky idea about soldering feeders to the rail joiners. Is that a dumb idea?

Thanks guys!


----------



## RT_Coker

It all depends on what you are planning to do in terms of layout-location, type-of-track, scenery on/near the track, track cleaning, ...

I have a 120’ of sectional nickel-silver EZ-track on a 160” x 78” layout and another 105’ in a 160” x 36” yard. It is powered by one DCC connection. But it is in a fairly clean environment and without anything added to the track near the rail-joiners.
Bob


----------



## AdRockTrains

RT_Coker said:


> It all depends on what you are planning to do in terms of layout-location, type-of-track, scenery on/near the track, track cleaning, ...
> 
> I have a 120’ of sectional nickel-silver EZ-track on a 160” x 78” layout and another 105’ in a 160” x 36” yard. It is powered by one DCC connection. But it is in a fairly clean environment and without anything added to the track near the rail-joiners.
> Bob


Well... I guess that means my layout should work fine. I have all nickel silver EZ track and MUCH less of it than you. 

Thanks!


----------



## Cycleops

AdRockTrains said:


> So, I just got my NCE power cab in the mail and I am reading the directions and the wiring section says to have feeder wires every 3 to 6 feet or track but ideally have a feeder on EVERY piece of rail. Uh... really? That's a lot of wiring. I thought DCC was going to make my life easier.
> Thanks guys!


They are just covering themselves. Because DCC has from 2amps running through the track it is more suspectible to poor rail connections and since most people use track in 3' sections its advising you to have a feed to every section instead of just relying on the Electrical integrity of the joiners.


----------



## AdRockTrains

Cycleops said:


> They are just covering themselves. Because DCC has from 2amps running through the track it is more suspectible to poor rail connections and since most people use track in 3' sections its advising you to have a feed to every section instead of just relying on the Electrical integrity of the joiners.


Well, I am going with the "try it out and see how it goes" method. Not like I am against some wiring. Actually sounds like fun. It was the EVERY rail thing that piqued my interest. 

Now I have to just wait for the DCC decoder for my DCC ready deisel to arrive and my new DCC steam loco and we're in business!!!


----------



## Cycleops

Suck it and see. It'll probably be fine.


----------



## CTValleyRR

When I first got my Prodigy Express DCC system, I had a 4x10 layout with perhaps 75 total feet of track. Most of the layout was sectional track (non-roadbed) connected only by rail joiners. Even though the instructions read similarly to the NCE (I believe they said "approximately every 5 feet"). the marketing hype said, "Just unplug your DC transformer and connect the wires to the track output terminals and you're off". Curious, I did just that, and it ran fine.

Now, the layout has grown a bit, and I use flex track and stock turnouts. I have feeders installed about every 8 feet (depending on track and benchwork configuration). Each "piece" of track is the flextrack and turnouts for that section with the joiners soldered to the track, and unsoldered joiners connecting each section. Never had any trouble with that either.

So, as Cycleops said, ignore the engineers and lawyers and just hook it up. If you have a problem, that's the time to worry about a fix. Do use a bus wire and feeders though, rather than one set of terminal joiners.


----------



## AdRockTrains

CTValleyRR said:


> When I first got my Prodigy Express DCC system, I had a 4x10 layout with perhaps 75 total feet of track. Most of the layout was sectional track (non-roadbed) connected only by rail joiners. Even though the instructions read similarly to the NCE (I believe they said "approximately every 5 feet"). the marketing hype said, "Just unplug your DC transformer and connect the wires to the track output terminals and you're off". Curious, I did just that, and it ran fine.
> 
> Now, the layout has grown a bit, and I use flex track and stock turnouts. I have feeders installed about every 8 feet (depending on track and benchwork configuration). Each "piece" of track is the flextrack and turnouts for that section with the joiners soldered to the track, and unsoldered joiners connecting each section. Never had any trouble with that either.
> 
> So, as Cycleops said, ignore the engineers and lawyers and just hook it up. If you have a problem, that's the time to worry about a fix. Do use a bus wire and feeders though, rather than one set of terminal joiners.


Thanks for the input guys!

So, just to be clear: Bus wire = a single set of wires (+ and -) from the power source all around the table. Feeders = Wires spliced off that single bus wire to various sections of track.

What are terminal joiners? Why are they inferior?

Thanks!


----------



## CTValleyRR

Bus wire = a single set of wires (a bus moves things from one place to another) providing a fairly large gage wire and minimal resistance. You can use more than one set. DO NOT join the wires at the end, just terminate them.

Feeder = wire connecting bus to track. Splice isn't necessary; you can use terminal strips, suitcase connectors, solder, etc.

Terminal joiners are joiners with the wires already soldered to them. Inferior might be too strong a word, but there are two problems: 1) all the mass produced ones I've seen use really skinny wire, like AWG24. I prefer 16 to 18; and 2) unless you solder the joiners to the rails, it's no better at conducting electricity than any other rail joiners, potentially leading to dead spots.

You can make your own terminal joiners if you want, but it's not much harder just to solder the feeder wire straight to the rails (OUTSIDE the web).


----------



## AdRockTrains

CTValleyRR said:


> Bus wire = a single set of wires (a bus moves things from one place to another) providing a fairly large gage wire and minimal resistance. You can use more than one set. DO NOT join the wires at the end, just terminate them.
> 
> Feeder = wire connecting bus to track. Splice isn't necessary; you can use terminal strips, suitcase connectors, solder, etc.
> 
> Terminal joiners are joiners with the wires already soldered to them. Inferior might be too strong a word, but there are two problems: 1) all the mass produced ones I've seen use really skinny wire, like AWG24. I prefer 16 to 18; and 2) unless you solder the joiners to the rails, it's no better at conducting electricity than any other rail joiners, potentially leading to dead spots.
> 
> You can make your own terminal joiners if you want, but it's not much harder just to solder the feeder wire straight to the rails (OUTSIDE the web).


Thank you!


----------



## CTValleyRR

Actually, I just noticed that you said "is it time to invest in a soldering iron and a lot of wire." Well, yes. It's an electric train. Both are essentials. You can get a 45 watt Weller iron at a home improvement store for under $50. Use solder designed for electrical, not plumbing applications (skinny stuff -- sometimes NOT available at the hardware store).

Model Railroader magazine once said, "A soldering iron is the tool most likely to strike fear into the heart of a newcomer to the hobby, yet some mastery of the technique is essential to progressing." (or something close to that). Truer words were never spoken.


----------



## AdRockTrains

CTValleyRR said:


> Actually, I just noticed that you said "is it time to invest in a soldering iron and a lot of wire." Well, yes. It's an electric train. Both are essentials. You can get a 45 watt Weller iron at a home improvement store for under $50. Use solder designed for electrical, not plumbing applications (skinny stuff -- sometimes NOT available at the hardware store).
> 
> Model Railroader magazine once said, "A soldering iron is the tool most likely to strike fear into the heart of a newcomer to the hobby, yet some mastery of the technique is essential to progressing." (or something close to that). Truer words were never spoken.


I once soldered a mod chip into a Nintendo Wii circuit board so I could install and play homebrew games. It was 5 tiny wires in a space about 1/2 the size of my pinkie nail. It worked on the first try, so I feel confident! 

Not the prettiest work, but it booted!


----------



## CTValleyRR

AdRockTrains said:


> I once soldered a mod chip into a Nintendo Wii circuit board so I could install and play homebrew games. It was 5 tiny wires in a space about 1/2 the size of my pinkie nail. It worked on the first try, so I feel confident!
> 
> Not the prettiest work, but it booted!


Then you're way ahead of me. My first attempt to solder track resulted in about an inch of melted ties on each side of the joint!


----------



## DavefromMD

I run a double oval with multiple connected sidings and interchange between inner and outer oval on a 4 x 8. I have 3 connections on each oval and one to the sidings. These connections were blocks when I ran DC. I just left the connections and removed the block controls. I have had no problems.


----------



## tr1

*avoiding melting ties.*

try to provide a heat sink. There are some examples on U-tube.
cotton balls dipped in water and placed across the rail joint, seem to protect the plastic ties from heat. It's probably a good plan to practice until your confident with your technique.
good luck joining your rails. Regards,tr1


----------



## CTValleyRR

tr1 said:


> try to provide a heat sink. There are some examples on U-tube.
> cotton balls dipped in water and placed across the rail joint, seem to protect the plastic ties from heat. It's probably a good plan to practice until your confident with your technique.
> good luck joining your rails. Regards,tr1


Yes, although I've done fine with just a couple of hemostats clipped to the rails after removing the ties right under where I'm working.

That was 10 years ago. My soldering still ain't pretty, but it works.


----------



## DonR

I'm not always in agreement on soldering techniques, many 
frown on my method, but it works well, especially when
soldering to track with plastic ties. The heat sinks work fine,
but if you have a light iron, (I use 25 watt), with a pointed tip,
and tin both surfaces before attempting to solder, you'll
do a neater job.

For track feeder soldering I first put a dab of flux on the bottom
flange, then carry a tad of solder on the iron tip to the rail to tin it. I do the
same with the feeder wire that has a tiny 90 degree bend
so it will 'lay' on the flange and the wire hangs down the hole
in the table. Then just a quick touch with the hot iron that
also has a small dab of solder and you're done...and with
no fried ties.

Don


----------



## CTValleyRR

DonR said:


> I'm not always in agreement on soldering techniques, many
> frown on my method, but it works well, especially when
> soldering to track with plastic ties. The heat sinks work fine,
> but if you have a light iron, (I use 25 watt), with a pointed tip,
> and tin both surfaces before attempting to solder, you'll
> do a neater job.
> 
> For track feeder soldering I first put a dab of flux on the bottom
> flange, then carry a tad of solder on the iron tip to the rail to tin it. I do the
> same with the feeder wire that has a tiny 90 degree bend
> so it will 'lay' on the flange and the wire hangs down the hole
> in the table. Then just a quick touch with the hot iron that
> also has a small dab of solder and you're done...and with
> no fried ties.
> 
> Don


Since your skills obviously far surpass mine here, let me ask you. How the [blank] do you carry solder on the iron tip? Every time I try that, it dances around and falls off right where I don't want it to (fortunately, not in my lap.... yet).


----------



## Gwpapa

CTValleyRR said:


> Since your skills obviously far surpass mine here, let me ask you. How the [blank] do you carry solder on the iron tip? Every time I try that, it dances around and falls off right where I don't want it to (fortunately, not in my lap.... yet).


You only need a small "drop" on the tip for this to work. I do it this way too after melting a few ties myself.


----------



## DonR

Yes, gwpapa has it. First, you need a small tip on your
iron, then you just touch the roll of solder and get a
tiny blob. You only need enough so that you can use it
to heat the tinned pieces you are soldering. Like glue,
a little solder goes a long way.

Practice with some scrap track and wires.

Don


----------



## Gwpapa

I think soldering is just like any other skill practice then more practice. I have that problem with the airbrush. I read everything I could including videos and still don't have the results I want but I will keep practicing and practicing.


----------



## CTValleyRR

I'm sure it's a practice makes perfect thing. I have done as you all suggest, but I still lose the solder off the tip before I can get it where I want it.

Maybe I should stop drinking....


----------



## Gwpapa

CTValleyRR said:


> I'm sure it's a practice makes perfect thing. I have done as you all suggest, but I still lose the solder off the tip before I can get it where I want it.
> 
> Maybe I should stop drinking....


I try to keep the soldering iron as close as I can to the parts to be soldered. That way the "drop" doesn't have much time to jump off of the iron. I think the smaller 25w gun works much better for this too. Once both parts have been tined it doesn't take much to stick them together. they will almost solder together without much of anything on the gun.


----------



## drtree216

AdRockTrains said:


> So, I just got my NCE power cab in the mail and I am reading the directions and the wiring section says to have feeder wires every 3 to 6 feet or track but ideally have a feeder on EVERY piece of rail. Uh... really? That's a lot of wiring. I thought DCC was going to make my life easier.
> 
> Now, I run about 35 feet or so of track and the DC power pack that came with my Athearn starter set runs all that track, no problem.
> 
> Is DCC really that much more needy? Sensitive? Is it time to invest in a soldering iron and a lot of wire?
> 
> Also, I am running all EZ track and had this wacky idea about soldering feeders to the rail joiners. Is that a dumb idea?
> 
> Thanks guys!


YOU just made my heart sink! I have ordered...(I thought) everything under the sun for my new hobby. NCE powercab, Locomotive, rolling stock, and track. First order was only half a circle! NEED 8 of those, not 4. Haha. Also, my dumb a...ordered 15 inch curves. NEED 22 inch...they say. Finally got everything in and I didn't realize that I needed those silly terminal joiners. I should have paid more attention. LOL. Now, I am sooo excited because they should be here today.... and you posted this! You can imagine how my heart just jumped into my throat. I am also a super beginner and thought I would just turn it on and go WOOO, WOOO. This new hobby is gonna be the death of me! Good luck on yours!


----------

