Drop wires - how many?

[andruec]

My layout (n gauge) is the size of a double bed (1.5 x 2.1m). It will be DCC. As seen in another thread I managed to power a locomotive around a figure of 8 comprising nearly 10m of track using a 9v battery. That probably represents a third of my final layout and includes several points in the journey. I had intended to solder drop wires to almost every section of straight track and either side of all points (I'm using insulfrogs) and once each curved section. But I'm now wondering if that's really necessary.

I'm thinking I could get away with:
* Points - enough drops to ensure power on all lines leading to/from.
* Individual feeds for each siding so that they can be isolated.
* A couple of drops on the track furthest from the points (most of my points are in one place) just to avoid voltage drop.

Thoughts?

[brian1951]

Stick to your original plan and solder droppers to each piece of track, it maybe more work, but in the end it will be worth it with Dcc.

[teedoubleudee]

Stick to your original plan and solder droppers to each piece of track, it maybe more work, but in the end it will be worth it with Dcc.

I agree but I think it's worth it for DC and DCC. I don't trust fish plates / rail joiners to maintain a good electrical connection over time.

[andruec]

Thanks, will do

[Puddles]

Using insulfrog points the siding track will only be live when the point is changed to run onto it so it more or less self isolates when the point is against.

Puddles

[Brian]

<Snip>
I'm thinking I could get away with:
* Points - enough drops to ensure power on all lines leading to/from.
* Individual feeds for each siding so that they can be isolated.
* A couple of drops on the track furthest from the points (most of my points are in one place) just to avoid voltage drop.

Thoughts?

The whole idea of DCC is that all tracks are live when DCC power is On. Therefore you can have locos moving, lights operating and even sounds On when the point is set against that siding. So additional rail feeds are added to the all the sidings. IMO its bad practice to switch DCC On/Off by using Insulated frog points cutting off rail power. Some older and budget makes of loco decoders don't like being turned On/Off frequently (as caused by points controlling rail power) and can revert to there default settings. So its recommended to feed all DCC rails.