# track power feeds



## domer94 (May 4, 2015)

im new to g scale , please forgive me for any repeat questions. what do ou guys do for power feeds? how many / how far apart/ methods for attaching to track etc etc.

also , a little unrelated, but when installing turnouts , do I have to insulate one leg as per the method for HO scale dcc installs?


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

How long is your track going to be? Brass rail is an excellent conductor and because you are planning to be indoors, one or two feeds should be sufficient. That is as long as your rail joiners are tight.

Commercial switches, LGB, USAT, AristoCraft, Bachmann, etc., have insulated frogs. You do not need gaps. If you build your own switches your might.

Chuck


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

If, as Chuck indicated, you are indoors you might consider the Tortoise from Circuitron. I use them on my indoor battery powered layout. They are relatively cheap and have been very reliable. I've mounted them underneath the bench-work and use the extra contacts to drive panel indicators for the switch's position.


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## domer94 (May 4, 2015)

chuck n said:


> How long is your track going to be? Brass rail is an excellent conductor and because you are planning to be indoors, one or two feeds should be sufficient. That is as long as your rail joiners are tight.
> 
> Commercial switches, LGB, USAT, AristoCraft, Bachmann, etc., have insulated frogs. You do not need gaps. If you build your own switches your might.
> 
> Chuck


the layout will be an approx. 50 foot dogbone of sorts for the mainline. I will have a secondary "freight local" that intermingles throughout. also a "port area" with a few sidings , and a locomotive facility on a separate peninsula. most turnouts will be in reach , so I have no problem using manuals. I was also thinking about using the manual systems form "humpyard purveyance". also , please advise the system for attaching the feeds... in HO I was using the connectors that had wire soldered to them , was a great convenience. I hate to think of soldering to the thick brass of these tracks


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Split-jaw makes rail clamps. They are a brass clamp that secures a rail join. I put eye connectors on the end of my leads put the screw through the eye and them tighten the clamp. It is very secure and works. With 50 feet of track one pair of leads should be enough.

The clamps come in packages of 10. They all can be used as it will help with the conduction of power through the system. Many of us use a clamp of one sort or another on all rail joins. The standard rail joiner can be a weak link.

Another good option is the LGB track 1015U. It has secure connections under the cover. It you use it for power you will have to put a jumper wire across the gap to insure full power going in both directions.

The 1015U is a short piece of track with a secure gap on one rail. It has power connections to both rails. It is ideal for sidings where the power across the gap can be controlled by a switch or signal. With the jumper it is an ideal power supply track.

Chuck


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

you can buy clamps, can solder or just push the cable between rail and plastic sleeper-webbing.

i have cables running as buses below the table. where ever the locos slow down or stop unduly, i connect the buses with the rails.
the better your trackwork and the cleaner your track, the lesser connections you need.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

That solder joint on the lower right is a cold joint, likely to fail, the solder has not wetted the rail.


It's hard to solder unless you have a large, hot iron, and it takes some technique to do this. I'd buy clamps for power feed, like the SJ ones, or you can drill a hole in the foot of the rail and use a screw and a ring terminal on the wire.

Greg


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