In This episode at the Modern Image 00 Gauge Layout 'New Junction' we take a look at how simple and cheaply you can wire in DCC to a layout. For less than £20 with no soldering lets find out how easy it is!
One of the best most informative articles ever - I Have struggled with soldering for years, and like you say there is need to suffer. The parts are available off the shelf. I would also like to complement you on the right length of your article . Too many of these videos are too long and lack clear content - less is more!
Nice update. That's exactly the system I have used on my layout, including the Peco pre-wired fishplates. Didn't buy those until I had ruined a not very expensive, and therefore cheap to replace, soldering iron making my own! I have found when splicing, it's better to squeeze the suitcase connector before you close over the plastic tab
Thanks for such a straightforward and reassuring video, NJ! Returning to the hobby after 20 years away, during which time DCC has arrived, and I really needed such a basic tutorial. Cheers!
Great video. I extended my layout recently and for weeks I have had this problem. Thanks for the answer now I know what to do. You have a lovely layout.
Many many thanks, you've saved me major headaches as I look to starting my first DCC layout. Well presented, and provides great clarity for non technical brains like mine.
Fantastic, clear and superbly delivered, a massive thank you from an electrickery idiot. I can now start wiring up with confidence! So glad I found you.
Great video. I am about to build my first layout and was worried about the electrics, this has given me some ideas and a bit more confidence, thank you.
Nice job, looked very straight forwards and easy to do. A job I really need to get on and do. Will make expansions and changes to the layout a lot easier to handle I'd imagine. Had inspired me to have a think and cost up what I'll be needing. Cheers, Rich.
great video ,basically everything covered .just starting my layout and have been deciding for a while either to go digital or analog..DCC all the way now
Wiring always seemed daunting to me and I've been putting this wiring off. But, thanks to your well explained video, I went off to Halfords and bought all the stuff and started. As you said, under £20 quid and no soldering. Thanks.
Found this video and found it to be a great tutorial. Albeit I have a large American N scale layout, my lovely Wife suggested I build a relative small OO layout, this winter, for my OO collection. At present, I have a small oval track to test my British locos, before they go into showcases. Where the locos purchased are non sound, busy installing both chip and sound units to them. It is a slow process as I have currently 192 British OO locos.
Don't make it look so easy, I'm nearly finished setting mine up to run on DC and you make DCC looks so easy. In all honesty, great video and it looks smashing. Best Wishes, Alex.
Great video, I’m just about to start building my first DCC layout and this is definitely the approach I shall be taking. What could possibly go wrong 😳🤞
Hi & thanks for a super informative video. As a newcomer to the hobby this subject was one of my most misunderstood but not any more thanks to you! However I would appreciate your thoughts because I asked another You Tuber about dropper wires & he advised that every piece of track should have them! As I said I would appreciate your thoughts on that before I go ahead & attempt to design my first layout. Love your channel, keep up the good work! Nick
That's a good way of doing it. I don't like doing soldering. jubilee road doesn't have any booster wires and seems to run ok but I'm adding a fiddle yard next week so might need some then
Great update richard you make it look easy i can remember when i first started didnt know what a bus wire was until i spoke to yan at ay76 he told me a lot of information about it all how do you find the select controller i have/had the elink and railmaster and it was great when it worked but as of xmas last year it stopped working so i wrote to santa and asked him if i could habe the esu ecos controller and 4 days before xmas day santas helper knocked on my door and said santa sent this for you i was like a kid in a sweet shop lol well thanks to my wife lol
Thank you for this video. I am new to model railways and will be building a railway very soon and want to go with DCC but was worried as to how to do it all. Out of all the videos I have seen about DCC setting up etc this has been the most easy one to follow and you have made it look so much easier to set up. Many thanks for that. How ever one question what is the best points to use with DCC?? Gary
Very nice video Richard! Definitely shows how DCC can be cheaper than most think and the pre-soldered method is rather clever. Can't wait for the update, and is that a sneak peak of a Dapol IDA intermodal set for the DRS 68?
call them suit case connectors here. they work great but just have to watch the gauge of wires used. and if the break into the smaller wire. some times the larger bus wire does not let it close up tight enough if smaller wire is to small a gauge.
Indeed. Look closely and youll see the inner has a plastic dead end, this is for the lighter gauge ie the thicker bus wire runs through on the outer edge. Use the pliers to splice the blade through, then close the cover. Used these on cars acc wiring in the 70s and still dont like them. You should also tell usthe wiring gauge used
Could not have been produced at a better time. Been to Hattons’s, back to Chester, now on virgin trains west coast super voyager to London Euston arrive 13:35, Vauxhall 14:00 , home Twickenham 14:40 and under the track with drill, bus wire and rail joiners droppers by 15:00 all for a bit more than £20:00! Worth it though the guys at Hattons are brilliant
Great video - puts my basic 6x4 OO layout to shame, but we all have to start somewhere. Can I ask what the Firmware and Hardware versions are on YOUR Select controller as mine doesn't appear to be working as expected with 15/30 on start up. I have a DCC/TTS Flying Scotsman and although the locomotive moves the sounds (sound) automatically without even touching the Function keys. Any advice is most welcome !
Suit case connectors is what I know them as here in the States! I always crimp the blade down first with a good set of pliers, or they make a special crimping tool just for those suit case connectors, then give a tug on both wires to see if it has spliced them. If all good, then close the lid and that doesn't require the pliers. I'm running all of my droppers(feeder wires here in the states), to a terminal strip. Then bus wires to the terminal strip using the suit case connectors from the main bus line. I hate to run trains in your attic space! All of the rafters to deal with? But you guys have limited space for layouts and have to use want the wife gives you for space! I don't have a wife, so I got free rain of the whole basement! 11' x 30'! Have fun, Roy
I have used these connectors & have had good reliability from them. I know they had a bad rep' in the motor industry & I believe in the caravan industry, as it saved time soldering etc. I got mine from the dipstick store, sorry I mean the Maplins store. I called it that after I went in & asked for some solder & got a kid having to run to the boss & ask whats solder. DOH
My preference is to solder those connectors can be a nightmare sometimes they can miss the wire and just crimp the insulation especially if you are using two sizes of multi core cable i was always ripping them out of cars and caravans and soldering the wires with a bit of heat shrink to protect the wires like they should of been done in the first place i can bet you in the future you may start to get faults by using those and yes everyone can solder if you do it the right way i taught my six year old years ago and my wife as long as you flux tin both and use the correct amount of heat it will work every time it just requires an hour to practice you will get good at it trust me and then you will enjoy it and save yourself loads a money and be proud you have done a great job if you can lay scenery like you like a professional you will learn to solder as well just as good not everyone can do it first time just practice your modeling skill are brilliant get soldering and join the club lol
Hi just watched your great video on bus wiring can you put the end of the bus wire into a block to light up lights or do you need a different wire if you can thank you 👍
Have a look at the WAGO connecters 2,3 OR 5 strip connecters, they're reusable and you'll never use anything else in this application, they are simply brilliant
Looking good! Even though you have soldered fishplates, would it still not be the effectiveness of the contact between this and the rail that would determine reliability?
Soldered fishplates are as pointless as a chocolate teacup, i dont use any metal fishplayes every fishplate i have is insulated type for block detection
Great video NJ, could you please explain the whole mystery over turnouts thought please peco told me I had to put insulated joiner on each frog rail and the wire every turnout, you didn't mention wiring any turnouts? Thank you complete novice on the layout front let alone dcc and wiring am just starting out for the first time
Complete newbie here do you need to have droppers on every loop you have or can I use point clips instead silly question but I'm just starting out thank you
So what about points and branches off of your main track, do you put the fishplayes on there and connect them to the bus wires, because my layout has a lot of branches off of the main track? Thanks if you can help, I know it's a while after the video was published
Hi… just hoping you could answer a question for me please. I have built an end to end layout that is 5ft main board plus fiddle yards bringing the whole length to 11 feet, and I’m going to be using an NCE PowerCab which I believe has 2amps output. Having trawled through various videos, I think I should be using 16/0.2 wire for the DCC droppers from the track…so does this mean I need to be using 24/0.2 wire for the bus? I can’t find this information anywhere and I’ve read on a forum somewhere that the droppers need to be a smaller gauge/size than the main bus. Can you offer any guidance? Thanks in advance 👍🏻🚂
Is the brand of connector (called an insulation displacement connector or suitcase connector) you used from 3M? They look like the #905 connector from 3M. You need to mention that the connector needs to match the gauge of the wires or you may not get a good connection. Enjoyed the video and your layout updates.
Hello NJ. I'm getting back to the hobby after many years and am in the process of wiring my first DCC layout. So much has changed as far as the wiring connectors. You mentioned the white terminal boxes in the vidio. Can you provide the source for them? Thanks, JDSSR
For someone new to model railways (me) and soldering (me, too) this was a breath of fresh air. I've got my order in for all the wire and Peco droppers I might need. What I'm not sure about, is whether a pair of dropper wires need to be attached for each 'oval' of track, and at roughly the same place on the layout? So, 3 pairs if the layout has an outer and 2 inner ovals, for example. Any advice would be welcome.
@@NewJunction Thank you for the additional assistance. Much appreciated. I've subscribed. :) By the way, you mentioned that the connectors are hard to clamp shut; but I got the impression you were trying to make the connection by pushing on the 'flap' of the connector. It may be easier to use pliers on the metal splicer to make the connection - and then close the 'flap'.
Hi Richard, all very interesting. I have the Hornby Select but do not have the power chord and am experiencing difficulty locating a chord with the correct size pin (2,5/3mm dia ?) Living in Toronto means of course tgat the British plug does not work. Do you know if there is an adapter that would fit? Thanks Charlie
What’s the best way to wire up around points? Would you have a dropper on all 3 bits of track around the point work? (And does it matter if you use electro or insul frog points?) Great video - about to give a go to my first DCC wiring 😬
Richard I have a DC set up and I am using guagemaster model D,I thought I would give this a try,do you put bus wire into say track 1 as I do at the moment or do you use accessories ? I am a 69 year old electrical idiot that's why I am asking your advice.
What would happen if you used these droppers at every connection section? I gave up on my layout because I can't solder and kept melting my skin. I didn't know these wires existed! 😂 They will be so much better! I just want to know if too much will cause issues or not?
As someone that knows absolutely nothing about model railways (and is trying to learn!), can I ask why so many connections from the controller to the track? Im trying to work out why one cant just connect at one point and power the whole thing?
Hi great video and looks nice and neat, when I started my baseboards last week I am doing DC but as I say doing the baseboards I thought I would put bus wires in before I put the tops on then if I do change to DCC at a later date they will be there and all I would need to do is connect up to them. Regards George..
@@NewJunction Thats a shame I was thinking of getting back into railways (retired now) and thought I might use the select as a start up option. How do you operate your points?
I understand how to connect the dropper wires to the bus wires. And I also understand the bus wire is not intended to be a continous loop. But, how do you connect the bus wires to the DCC controller?
I have a layout loop of about 32ft in total and used 5amp wire from Halfords and used gauge master wires for my droppers. I have a NCE Powercab controller, but when running more two locomotives the system shuts down after about ten minutes. Any ideas what might be happening
So, just to make sure I've got it right. I can have as many dropper wires I need on all running lines that I want powered (Sidings, up and down lines etc) and they all connect to that one bus wire that loops round? :-)
