Wire a layout

Chris Gadsby guides you through the principles of wiring your layout.

Chris Gadsby guides you through the principles of wiring your layout.

Layout wiring. It’s probably the least sexy part of building a layout. It can also be a minefield of problems that can mean your layout never gets off the ground. This is one of the reasons that progress on my layout has stagnated over the last few months, and probably would have done so for a few more had it not been for the topic being raised in the Model Rail office – and me throwing my hat into the ring. There is absolutely no reason to be scared of wiring your layout. It’s the essential element that will make your trains move, and isn’t that the whole reason you started on the journey to build a model railway in the first place? Furthermore, it’s a methodical process, so why are some of us so hesitant to begin? One of the reasons some people shy away from wiring their layouts is because they don’t understand the terminology. It’s easy to get bogged down in the jargon surrounding electricity, which can make it hard to fathom, and if it’s your first layout and you’ve not worked with electricity before it can put you off. In the jargon buster (right) we’ve explained some of these terms to help you understand what’s what when it comes to wiring.

Since the last time I soldered anything was for my GCSE electronics lessons, I’ll be wiring this short section of track that is around the canal basin of my layout, to allow me to get some practice before tackling the complex Cardiff Central station on the opposite side.