Feeders And Unitrack

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This is a difficult subject to discuss as there are many opinions regarding feeders to use on a Unitrack layout.

For a small 2x4" layout, two to three pairs of feeders may be all that is necessary. You then can use Kato feeder tracks and that should be sufficient.

For larger permanent layouts I prefer to solder a set of feeders to each track section. Some of you might think that's "overkill", but I don't think so.

The "Original" JJJ&E had a final footprint of 10x15' after four expansions in nine years. The mainline was over 130' long.

In that time span I never experienced any voltage drops during any operating session. I periodically measured the voltage on various parts of the layout with a RRampmeter and voltage always remained constant no matter how long the layout is being operated. I also use the RRampmeter to measure the amperage used on a layout. This is important for people who have two or three amp systems.

Photo  #  1  Tony's Trains RRampmeter Which Measures Voltage And Amperage On A DCC Or DC Layout. This Photo Comes From Tony's Trains Website

Whether, I ran two or three trains at one time, none of the trains ever slowed down when reaching the furthest part of the layout from the command station. This was due to soldering feeders to each section of Unitrack.

Yes, its time consuming and work intensive, but the results are important to note. There were no electrical problems in nine years for a fairly good sized Unitrack permanent layout that was run for at least an hour per day with two to three trains of at least 28 cars plus locomotives running at the same time.

There is nothing worse on a permanent layout, then to figure out electrical issues after the fact and what section of Unitrack is the culprit.

On the "New" JJJ&E, which is considerably larger than the original layout, I used the same approach and soldered a set of feeders to each section of track. Yes, I'm ten years older now, but I know this works to perfection. I use a pair of feeders on all straight and curved sections. For switches/turnouts I use three sets of feeders; one pair of feeders for each arm of the Switch/turnout. For Double Crossovers I use four sets of feeders; one pair of feeders for each arm of the Double Crossover. The same holds true for 90 degree crossovers and 30 degree crossovers; one pair of feeders for each arm of the crossover. By using this technique, the locomotives won't stall as they pass through the switch/turnout and crossovers.

 On the "New" JJJ&E, the layout has over 1000 pieces of Unitrack and over 70 turnouts/switches. The layout was wired in this manner, dropping feeders from each section of track to common bus lines below the bench work. This new layout doesn't have any electrical issues after being in full operation for the past 3 1/2 years. It's a pleasure to run a large around the room layout of this magnitude without any electrical issues with the track.

I also use Peco code 80/55 Flex track in the turntable area and on certain long sidings. I wire a pair of feeders to each section of Peco code 80/55 Flex track  as well. So if you wire a pair of feeders to each section of Flex track, isn't it common sense to wire a pair of feeders to each Unitrack section.

For feeders you can use 22 or 24 gauge solid copper wire. I prefer solid rather than stranded wire. That is a personal choice and using such small gauge wire, the solid copper wire is very flexible.

If you do decide to solder feeders to Unitrack, you need a good soldering station and most of all, practice your soldering technique. I use a Hako Soldering Station with very fine soldering tips for N scale. I us these very fine soldering tips to solder feeders to the Unitrack as well as for soldering decoders in N scale locomotives.

You can solder feeders directly to the side of the Unitrack rail. You can also solder a pair of feeders to the underside of the Unitrack roadbed. There are spaces cut into the plastic roadbed that can be elongated and widened slightly to accommodate  soldering feeders to the underside of the track rail.

Photo  # 2  Posi-Tap Connectors Connect Up To Four 22 Gauge Feeders To One 14 Gauge Bus Line

For common bus lines I use 14 gauge solid copper wire. I connect the feeders to the 14 gauge bus lines with Posi-Tap Connectors ( See T"he Posi-Tap Connector - An Alternative To Soldering" on this website ).

Using feeders on each track section is very important to those users who run the layout with DCC. The JJJ&E was programmed to run at 11 volts which is at the low end of the voltage range. That range is 11 to 16 volts. Sixteen volts is much too much voltage to use on a N scale DCC layout.

So, in regards to the number of feeders to use on your Unitrack layout, that is a personal decision

Have fun with feeders, they will serve your layout well and you won't have any electrical issues of the track to contend with.