DC wiring on shelf layouts

[tsby_fan]

I'm working on the technical aspects of my shelf layout, trying to plan ahead for the day work begins on the layout. One of the problems I'm facing is wiring- I plan to use DC(as DCC is not in my current or future budget) and as the layout will be a shelf around the room, in the shape of a folded kidney bean, how do you do the wiring for blocks that may be 40-50 feet away, wire-wise? Do you place the power packs centrally and use tethered throttles? Some kind of booster, like in DCC?
TIA,
Al

[P5se Camelback]

First off ...

Al

That "said" ... we'll have to wait for someone with a whole lot more expertise in the process of pushing the positive and negative electrical charges through thin strands of copper than I have ... sorry. I have enough trouble trying to wire a simple track with a single turnout on it without somehow winding up with a short circuit.

But if you want to build something using styrene ...

[BR60103]

Al:
If you use big enough wire, current loss isn't a problem.
My layout is about 16 feet square, around the walls, so I have track that is 50 feet (as the train runs) from a throttle.
I have 4 throttles and 3 block control panels - one on a side and 2 in the opposite corners. The big one controls a station that is about 16' long plus another 16' along the next wall.
My throttles are connected to the control panels with lamp cord -- the flexible stuff about 14 or 16 gauge from the hardware store.* There are 4 sets of it running around most of the layout. When I was building, I found that the store had 4 distinct colours/styles of this wire.
When I built the control panel I had some decent wire for connections, but I also had surplus telephone cable that I used to the track. I didn't do that on the later sections.


* this wire is generally handy to buy and reasonably priced. Just don't confuse it with the high voltage circuits.

[doctorwayne]

Hi Al, and to Big Blue.

I have an around-the-room style DC-controlled layout with about 200' of mainline (not counting staging, passing tracks, double track, or industrial sidings). It's all run as a single block since I'm usually the sole operator. I use an MRC Control Master 20 for power,with a variety of tethered walk-around throttles.
Because it's all one block, all the rail joiners are soldered together and the power is connected to the rails in one location, as shown below.


I have no problem running a dozen locos at a time (usually when the grandkids visit ), with no power loss anywhere, but if you plan to run multiple trains with individual control, you may need something a little more sophisticated.

Wayne