REVERSE RUNNING: Why I hate layout W I R I N G ... Stepping outside the box with a contrary view
As and point Bs on a medium to large layout. Take rail feeders as an example – point A is a rail. Point B is a power bus or a terminal block fed by a power bus.
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— by Joe Fugate
W
hat is really important
on a model railroad? Something that’s nearly invisible, but so important that if it isn’t working, then almost nothing else will either.
Wiring! I hate wiring: I make no bones about it – my least favorite part of the hobby is layout wiring. First, most wiring is not especially difficult – a lot of it is connecting point A to point B following a theme. Trouble is, there’s usually a ton of those theme-based point
For reliability, I agree with Allen Gartner, author of the wellknown Wiring for DCC web site, who wrote “every piece of rail needs to be soldered to something – either a feeder or another piece of rail.” Do you know how many pieces of rail are on the typical medium to large model railroad? Soldering each piece of rail to a wire or another piece of rail is not rocket science – rather, the most apt description of the task that I can think of is “mindnumbing tedium!”
Boredom leads to carelessness: And this leads to yet another reason I hate layout wiring – it’s so darn boring that often I don’t pay proper attention to what I’m doing so I’ll probably make mistakes.
Page 156 • Issue 9 • Sep/Oct 2010 • Reverse Running Editorial
After a session of pretending I’m an electrician, what’s the most common result I get when I turn the layout power back on? Mystery short! Ever try to find a mystery short? Essentially you get to disconnect all that wiring you just did until the short goes away. Then you get to connect it back up again – this time paying attention like you should have the first time. Gee, it was so much fun doing it the first time, I think I’d like to do it again! When everything is disconnected and the short is still present, you discover the screwdriver laying on the track causing the short.
Solder is heavy and gravity likes heavy things. It’s also hot ... Ow!
Invisibility: Then there’s the worst part – all that hard work isn’t even visible. I can spend a few hours doing scenery and when the guys come over for the next op session, they quickly comment on the new scenery, oh-ing and ah-ing over the changes. But I can spend weeks on wiring work and when the guys come over to operate, they mumble, “Humph. Didn’t have time to work on the layout this month, aye?”
Grrrrr!
To which I just mumble under my breath, “I hate layout wiring …”
Not my idea of a good time.
I rest my case.
Gravity: Then there’s gravity. Why is that a problem? Think about where the wires are usually located – below the layout, but above your head, shoulders and arms while you’re working. Tell a friend ...
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