Well, one of my goals for this year was to get some wiring done so I can operate the trains more effectively. Right now, a simple feed to the tracks powers the whole layout. So, I have begun at the finish of the branchline. It is a return loop so I cannot run it until I get some wiring done. Here is the start of the terminal strips that will contain the track power blocks and the turnouts. You can tell, I am not a neat-nick when it comes to routing the wire. That plus no color code makes it seem like a jumble. I do label the terminal points so I know what I have to hook up to the control panels. I also have a paper diagram of what I want to accomplish with my wiring plan.
Here you can see what we are trying to control. We have an engine and a test boxcar up on the branchline terminal - Mount Carmel - I need to build the panel on the aisle in the foreground. So, I have several cables running from up there to the aisle. I also have a cable coming down from the ceiling (you can see it just above the right end of the boxcar) which has to be included. You can also see the connections from the track above to the red wiring that merges into the cable.
This is an overview that shows the gathering of the tools, paperwork on the circuits, meters and a power pack for testing. You can see the terminal strips on the benchwork. This panel will control all the tracks in that overhead loop that is hanging from the ceiling. The engine and boxcar is poised to go into the loop to the right.
The cables will run in the walls from the upper tracks to the lower support area and then to the terminal strips. Those cables have been hanging there for about 3 years while I built up to that hanging track. The engine has run around those tracks with the test boxcar as I am wiring the loops.
This is a view from the other side and you can clearly see the cables that will run inside the walls.
This view from the end shows the cable run and the ties to the wall members.
