Re-Wiring Layout Power Supplies

[@krtrains123]

Home Depot has " Mini Cable Staples" by Gardner Bender , these are great for routing your wiring thru under the table, makes your wiring look a lot neater. A bag of 20 is model MSC-20W, Mount a staple , open and close to run wires thru the staple as needed , twist the excess, looks professional

[@edwardokum9414]

What I did was mount a main power on/off switch with a green light on the control panel, clearly visible to everyone. Its a quick on/off capability and no-one has to crawl under the table to find it. My power does not come from a wall outlet but instead is wired directIy into the main house panel on a 15 amp breaker. I also wired two separate incandescent 40 watt bulbs spaced under the layout for work lighting. These also connect to the same 15 amp breaker. However, they are not controlled by the main table power switch but are on a separate house current switch. That way you can work on the underside without powering up the table and vice versa. Saves toting around a flashlight /forehead light/etc and trying to work under the table. Of course my table is only 8' X 15' so two lights is plenty of light. Yours would probably need four lights for good work-ability. Look forward to watching more videos of your wiring project.

[@ChrissTrainsandThings]

That will probably be the final solution. I have each block with an individual toggle switch, so I’ll just need a larger main power switch so it stands out. Thanks for the feedback!

[@tinytowntrainstv]

Hey, Chris...great layout subject to tackle on a video...you mentioned auto mechanic...I use an auto mechanic's low-boy to roll under my layout table and it works great. Keep up the good work! Thanks. T4

[@tomrogers5516]

Nice work, Chris. You make it look easier than it probably is, but your experience with the operation and the equipment on the layout make it all look fast and easy. I'm sure everybody at first is anxious to get things up and running we don't take the time get wiring in order, so we end up with a spider's nest! It's a great accomplishment to go back and clear that up. It makes expansion easier, too.

[@BobsOGaugeTrains]

Looking great Chris. Awhile back I redid and cleaned up some of my wiring. Over the Thanksgiving holiday Im venturing under the table to clean up some more. Everything is fine, I just want it better.

[@ozarkmidlandsouthernrailway]

Good video, Chris. Wiring at least for me is always a challenge. I try to keep it as simple and straight forward as I can, but wiring just has a way of quickly getting out of hand. You've made some significant improvements. Keep the momentum going as best you can. You offered some good useful tips. Thank you. Bill B.

[@luisbrown1535]

You ain't lying that's a lot of spaghetti down there

[@mslickstrains]

Nice job Chris. I’m a little intimidated by wiring for when I build my next layout

[@Dachamp2001]

Great job I had to do it my self lol 😆 I found the legacy has much better signal quality above the layout if running the stock Antenna I'm Converting to an external antenna Right now I'm going to mount the antenna to the ceiling so So I can put the base back under the layout. I also run DCS The only thing I hate about it gotta run a bus to every block section AKA star pattern for best signal 😒

[@StephenKoferl]

Great video Chris, sorry so late to the party, just been going crazy. I run conventional via the TMCC.

[@ScottiesTrains]

Great work Sir. I will be tackling mine in next few days. Don't know if I get to video it having problems with phone camera.

[@miguelangelgarrido7233]

Buenas tardes excelente video abrazo grande

[@northpennvalleysteamrailroad]

Good job! 👍

[@azslotracer]

Just curious, are you using the star wiring system that Mth suggests using to improve the DCS signal? Is your ZW updated with quick blowing circuit breakers or what do you have between it and the TIU? Just curious why you wouldn't use the 180 watt lionel bricks for powering the entire layout? I use 4 of them for power input to my TIU and a Z-500 to power the TIU itself. You made a nice improvement to your wiring for the layout. Thanks for sharing the video.

[@rabbitstrainroom6327]

Bro you got a rats nest lol.

[@2railnation]

Can you even mount the 990 Legacy base unit vertically? Won't the remote fall out?

[@ChrissTrainsandThings]

I never stick the remote on the base. The recharging feature has been broken for years anyway.

[@ChrissTrainsandThings]

However. You can mount it on an angle to keep the remote on the base.

[@conductorjohnmthtrains2239]

Looks like you wired things as you go, me too! Wow i thought mine was bad, i have 2 fixed and 1 variable on tiu. Toggles for 5 loops. But i did spider wire everything early in the layout build which helps me out a lot. But i am always rewiring and adding things - it never ends. I took my tiu apart just last night to tighten up some of the jack nuts on the inside

[@conductorjohnmthtrains2239]

Hey buddy. Check tiu jacks for looseness. I had a few, don't need any smoke. Only 6 screws, Solo Contracting - MTH DCS TIU Repair ( you-tube)