The general recommendation is to run a feeder wire to power the track approximately every 6 ft.The easiest way to do that is to run at least a 2 conductor bus cable around your layout and then add your numerous feeder wires to this bus cable at the appropriate locations. I myself had left over 2c#14 and 3C#14 house wire that I ran around the extents of my layout and then drop to various terminal strips from which I then take my track feeders. There are numerous posts on this forum showing different techniques for this bus cabling.

Peter

Yes that's it.

Fabrice has some nice photos of how he is running his bus wiring for his new layout on post #46 of the link below:

Trossingen III

Peter

/* Specifically, have a look at this post -> https://www.marklin-user...vel-and-helix#post583172 Personally, I find such neat and ordered wiring very disturbing.. */

Edited by moderator 26 February 2019 13:19:17(UTC)  | Reason: Added more direct link to the bus wiring post in Fabrice's thread

In my case I break up my layout into 5-6 pieces ish and isolate them from each other then run a feed wire back to my console area. This has the benefit later of being able to switch sections off to easily track down where shorts are coming from. I did this because initially I was going to run both digital and analogue locos. The above advice re bus wires is very simple - simple being good!!!

19,7 yards are about 18 meters. I doubt it that a track box 60116 will all feed this in a sufficient way. A track box brings a maximum of 1,9 A. No chance to change this. If you separate your layout into isolated sections, how will you feed these single sections with power?

As @Jean in post #5 stated, he uses a 100 W power supply, which brings 5 A. I do the same at my layout. But 2,5 mm² cross section for the cable is too much. It contains the risk, a shortage does not switch of the power from your layout. This may cause a cable or layout burning. First I used 1,5 mm² and my friends at the MIST (= Märklin Insider StammTisch) recommended not to do it, because it still is too risky. Now I changed to 0,75 mm². The track box came with a profile of 0,19 mm². Enough for the track box and this is the reason why the track box is always limited to 1,9 A.

I have CS 3+ and Märklin gives the instruction to use minimum 0,5 mm² for any cable from a CS 3 to the layout power feeding. A CS 3 always brings a minimum of 3 A.

Don’t worry about the size of the layout, and the power of the track box, what matters is how many locos + accessories you’re trying to run from that box. The feed wires are required as the resistance due to track joints will increase the further away from the track box connection which could lead to significant loss of power and or erratic behaviour in the decoder. CS3 is not required.

Thank you, Peter.

So, after spending way too much time on the Internet looking into this, here is my current plan:
* the cables from the 60116 digital connector box will feed into the first terminal strip block underneath my table
* from that terminal strip block, I will have a 14 AWG bus going around the table (stranded copper wire)
* this bus will feed multiple strip blocks
* from those strip blocks, I will have 18 AWG feeder cables (with spade connectors soldered to the ends) go to the tracks
* my layout now has 12 sections (none longer than 6 feet) that are separated by center rail insulators

Does this sound like a solid plan for now?

I know that if I ever end up running more trains or connect other elements to the layout that require power (such as powered turn-outs, signals, etc.), that I might have to add a Central Station.

Pun intended ??

Per.

Thank you, so you still shall be able to read German.

Seriously, for you it is valuable to buy the 2nd Märklin book "(Wieder-) Einstieg in die Märklin Modellbahn" art.# 03070. This is as well for beginner as relauncher very good, but it is only in German language available. In the opposite to the CS 3 book art #03082 (German) #03092 (English). Also surf always on the German website of Märklin, because they do offer much more information as on the English one. It is a pity, because plenty of our only English speaking friends do not get informed about important issues and publications from Märklin, done only in German..

Indeed a CS 3 is not necessary, I only wrote it for comparison and information purposes for a beginner. The more far away you are from the current feeding point, the less power do you have. Märklin recommends a current feeding point every 2 meters. For a starter with one or two locos it will be enough. When your locos do not run very well any longer, than it is time to get more current into the layout. Then it is time for a booster or CS 3. But again you shall know, that a CS 3 has already a booster included. Again, buy this M-book. It is very helpful. and at the end it gives you a superb overview about all digital devices too. The actual ones as well as the old ones and which are still usable today. In my opinion very helpful.

Also very helpful (but only in German available) is this website from a Swiss MRR, "Rainers Modellbahn". He gives you very good answers for almost every MRR theme and much more like about electricity or soldering.

https://www.stayathome.ch/

If you plan on running multiple trains on a single track loop, your going to need a way to sense positions. This is getting into the future complexities of signals, and traffic control, but if your already putting breaks in the center conductor, and you envision not pulling up the layout as you grow into computer controlled or CS controlled layout in the future, you might want to also plan in your S88 sensing sections and thus build in the isolation of an outside rail isolation for detection - you can just connect them all to a ground bus that attaches to the other rails's ground bus contacts for now. Saves you pulling up all the track again later.

But of course, if its likely you will redo the layout one or more times, then its way to early to worry about such things, given as its not something you can use with a MS controller.

Vielen Dank fuer den Link zu den Sicherheitshinweisen!

Thank you for this hint. Very strange Märklin! Next time they only publish at their specific country side?