# Power Bus DC layout



## Hesh (Dec 11, 2017)

First post as I return to building my layout after a 25 year delay...

Currently I'm doing a POC (proof of concept) on three 8' tables in a row for a 50' two track mainline. Once I have all the track, understand the wiring, and have built a goodly amount of my buildings, bridges, etc. the layout will be built into my condo basement.

This is DC by choice, I have a number of vintage DC locomotives, ,lot's of cars with the old hitches, and a NIB Control Master 20 from 25 years ago or so. I also have several new locos and lots of new cars.

My question is this: I ordered two 25' DCC bus kits from MTS with 14 gauge bus wire and 22 gauge feeders.

My track is Kato, some old some new and more on the way. Currently I am thinking of feeders every 5 - 6'.

Would this work well in your experiences and if not what would work better? I'm aware that track connectors should never be relied on for electrical connections hence the bus. I just need recommendations on how often to have feeders.

Lastly I'm assuming.... that a properly designed DCC bus will have heavy enough wire for DC, is this a correct assumption?

TIA (Thanks in advance)


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

Your plan should work just fine. Right now I have a simple loop of Unitrack with only one feeder and I have about 22’ of track. I do notice a slight slowdown at the farthest point but not significant for me to run another feeder for a temp loop that allows me to run a train or so. That being said, feeders every 5 or 6 feet will do just fine. And yes DCC bus wire will be more than enough. The feeders that come with the DCC kit won’t need to be soldered to the track, Kato has sections of track with the feeders built in and a wire plugs into the underside of the track, just use one of these when you need a feeder. Also you may be able to find some of the older style feeders that were built into the rail joiners. I don’t like these as well as the small track piece because if the feeder gets worn out then you lose a feeder too, better when you just have to replace the standard railjoiners.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Will you be breaking your layout into 'blocks' and
providing 2 or more power packs through DPDT
switches so that you can run more than one
train at a time?

If so you won't be able to use an under table bus,
you'll need pairs from the switch control panel.

Don


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## Hesh (Dec 11, 2017)

Thanks guys! Much appreciated.

The plan is to have multiple transformers, four or more for what I want to do. Two mainlines with switches that lead into a town or two, an industry, etc. and some yard work as well. I'm going to use blocks but with separate transformers mostly because part of the fun of all of this for me is actually driving the trains.

The bus is because I've always wanted very long runs and a 60's time frame so that I can model steam as well as more modern locomotives in the same era. 

Admittedly this is a very free form endeavor at this stage. I'm getting and putting track together to see what bubbles up and I like. Kind of an expensive approach I know but I like puzzles.

Thanks again!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Hesh said:


> Thanks guys! Much appreciated.
> 
> The plan is to have multiple transformers, four or more for what I want to do. Two mainlines with switches that lead into a town or two, an industry, etc. and some yard work as well. I'm going to use blocks but with separate transformers mostly because part of the fun of all of this for me is actually driving the trains.
> 
> ...


With DCC you don't need multiple blocks and transformers to control multiple trains. Commands to the decoder inside each loco controls its movement. Blocks are only used for short protection, and only one command station is required. That's part of the beauty of DCC.


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## Hesh (Dec 11, 2017)

CTValleyRR said:


> With DCC you don't need multiple blocks and transformers to control multiple trains. Commands to the decoder inside each loco controls its movement. Blocks are only used for short protection, and only one command station is required. That's part of the beauty of DCC.


Thanks for the reply. I'm purposely avoiding DCC in favor of DC in that I like vintage trains AND I'm not looking to have another microprocessor in may life. Thanks anyway.


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## Texas Pete (Sep 28, 2011)

Hesh said:


> Thanks for the reply. *I'm purposely avoiding DCC in favor of DC* in that I like vintage trains AND I'm not looking to have another microprocessor in may life. Thanks anyway.


Me too, but I might want to add a new loco or two and many of the modern ones come with DCC already installed, hence my question about running DCC engines on DC power LINK. I'm really curious to know if simply unplugging the decoder will make this possible.

Pete


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

Texas Pete said:


> Me too, but I might want to add a new loco or two and many of the modern ones come with DCC already installed, hence my question about running DCC engines on DC power LINK. I'm really curious to know if simply unplugging the decoder will make this possible.
> 
> Pete


Pete, modern DCC decoders are dual mode. They will run on DC and DCC just fine. You will not have to unplug them. Actually unplugging them will usually cause the locomotive to not work at all. 

To the OP. I understand you not wanting to add more complications to your life. I do IT work for a living and I now HATE working on computers. But DCC is far more simple than DC. Also with DCC you actually do control the trains. With DC you control power to a section of track, and thus everything on that track will respond accordingly. This doesn’t allow train control, only track control. Also the wiring needed to pull this all together is not what I would call simple. You can get a basic entry level DCC command station for about the price of a good DC throttle and one command station can operate the entire layout and multiple trains at the same time. The number of trains is dependent on the system. 

As for converting the engines... well old N scale could be a challenge to convert, they can be very simplistic in they way they are built which makes for a challenging decoder install. Another issue with older N scale is they didn’t run very well. A lot of them used 3 pole motors like you would get in HO scale slot cars, these motors were not very strong and like to run at higher speeds. Modern N scale is designed with DCC in mind and also with 5 or 7 pole motors which don’t run fast but will allow you to pull 40 cars with one engine. 

So anyway there is some stuff for you to consider if you haven’t already. I just converted from HO to N and won’t use DC for anything more complex than a single loop of track.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Hesh said:


> Thanks for the reply. I'm purposely avoiding DCC in favor of DC in that I like vintage trains AND I'm not looking to have another microprocessor in may life. Thanks anyway.


I know you weren't considering DCC... I was thinking maybe you might want to give it a fresh look. There's nothing wrong with a DC layout, but there now different ways to do things that make your life simpler, despite the fact that they involve a microprocessor.

Read Massey's response above. He sums up the issue quite nicely.


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## Hesh (Dec 11, 2017)

Many thanks everyone, you certainly are making DCC sound more attractive.

I recently took delivery of a Big Boy the new Athearn release as well as a Kato steamer. Both seem to crawl after break-in in a superior manner to my old N stuff as you said that they would. Nice to see better running N trains.


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