We have used 12 gauge speaker wire (with Anderson connectors) to connect the buses between our O scale modules for many years. Not twisted. Works fine. John Bishop

One feeder per rail piece (ie, between rail joiners) is what I have been advised, and do. For sections I want to be able to turn off, I run a parallel bus the length of the block, which can be turned

Put a capacitor at any point across the printed lines that go to the LEDs. This will be on the DC side of the rectifier. Size shouldn't matter much as the current is low, but get the polarity right. I

Another way to go is get one Powercab and a smart booster. When programing, plug the cab into the Powercab panel connected to a programing track with the flat cable. Plug the cab into the booster (or

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It really aint that complicated. The frog has to be isolated, dremel or razor saw. Nothing else is reliable, trouble free, doesn't have to fooled with ever again. I admit I am in O scale. John Bishop

Solder a wire connecting each closure rail to the adjacent left and right stock rail (This assumes an isolated frog.) Best practice is that each unbroken section of rail should have a feeder. John Bis

An advantage of the battery powered unit I mentioned is that if the batteries get low, you just replace them. For rechargables, you gotta wait for the batteries to get recharged, which (using the Micr

HAKKO fx-901 is excellent for light soldering. Uses 4 AA batteries. Gets good and hot and lasts surprisingly long before batteries have to be swapped out. Costs about $30. I have been using it for alm

I'm not expert, but I think that a Frog Juicer for each turnout would do it. (That may be what "AR" refers to.) They are available from Tam Valley in units that will supply 1, 2 or 8 turnouts. John Bi

Tim & all, I also have not got the indicator light, although I do have the wires for it coming off the toggle. What I have thought would be fun would be to put a dwarf signal by the track with only a

Based on advice from others, I have used a double throw. Don't forget you need an isolating section before the programming track, that has power turned off when you have the programming track on. This

Having used both, I strongly believe in powering the frogs, as I have on my home layout. Its not hard. With Tortoise machines, there are contacts to do that. With Switchmasters (which I use) there is

As an O scaler butting in, I use a Bright Boy, or occasionally alcohol. I have Code 100 steel rail. The layout's been around quite a while, and this works fine. I probably don't actually clean the tra

Hi Tom, Sounds like that will work fine -- and obviously does. My situation is a little different since I make my own switches, so there is no plastic do deal with, but electrically, we are both doing

John S., Assume by "a 24-ga. solid wire soldered from the web of the point rail to the web of the frog rail," you mean "to the web of the stock rail" Isn't stranded wire (if not what I suggested more

Hi Jerry, I also use powered frogs and a stall motor (Switchmaster in my case). What I do is solder a jumper from each stock rail to each closure rail, using any kind of wire, which it sounds like you

Let me put in my 2 cents for O scale. I have a three car garage in Southern California, and built layout around my sports car in the middle stall. It's traction/two rail, and while the curves are limi

I would not rely on the points for electrical contact -- and I am in O scale, using Code 100 to 148, not N with much smaller rail. I agree with not segmenting the closure rail, though. You can simulat

I use the SwitchMaster (SM) machine, controlled by the NCE Switch-It. I prefer the SM to the Tortoise because it is so easy to mount and the motion is rotary -- allowing the use of a crank arrangement

Have you considered using a NCE Switch-It? It has connections to throw the switch by a momentary push-button that toggles the point position. If you don't use DCC, you just use a separate 12-16 volt D