15 track tips for better performance of your toy trains and electric trains

A version of this article originally appeared in the March 2010 issue of Classic Toy Trains.

A toy train layout is great fun until it doesn’t operate well. Then it becomes just a scenic place to display your trains. Drawing on decades of layout-building experience, our two authors put their heads together and came up with 15 simple tips for track and wiring that will help keep your O gauge railroad in peak running condition.

Most of these tips are one-evening projects, and some take even less time. Give them a try and your three-rail empire will operate better, whether it’s small or large.

1.) It’s essential to have good continuity on both sides of your track power circuit. Many opera-tors will attach multiple feeds to the center rail but not the outer rails, thinking that having two ground rails reduces the need for frequent feeder wires. That’s not the case, especially if you’ve isolated some sections of outer rail to use for signals or other accessories. It’s a good idea to attach feeders to both rails every 4 to 6 feet, so that no track section is ever more than 3 feet from a feeder.

2.) It’s a good idea to use insulated pins or joiners to divide your layout into several electrical sections, even if you plan to run only one train or are using digital control. Use a toggle switch (we like ratings at 10A at 110V) to control the power to each section. Doing this makes it much easier to find any electrical problems and allows for changes in the future. Rather than simply wrapping your wires around the binding posts on your transformer, we recommend crimping a spade lug onto the wire to prevent it from slipping out from under the nut.
We like to color-code our wiring: red for the center rail, black for the ground, and yellow for accessory power. If you need other accessory voltages, use another color; if you use two com-pletely separate circuits, use brown for your second ground.

3.) Adding an illuminated bumper or two to your layout can improve operation when using digi-tal control. An added advantage is that if your train stops, the bumper makes it easy to see whether you’ve lost power or have a problem with your locomotive. If the train won’t run and the bumper is dark, you’ve lost power; if the bumper is lit, the problem lies with your locomo-tive. We strongly recommend using insulated outside rails, not track contactors, to activate your accessories. The insulated rails are far more reliable and require no adjustment, only oc-casional cleaning.

4.) (See photo.)

5.) In today’s world, 12V AC solid-state relays are becoming more affordable and easier to find. According to Scott Behanna of Scott’s Odds-n-Ends, some AC relays have contacts capable of handling 15 amps, robust enough for most layout needs.

11.) (See photo.)

12.) If you’re using recycled track, make certain the pins are tight and the ends of the rails are clean and shaped correctly so a pin fits snugly. A small circular file or pipe cleaner dipped in solvent is useful for cleaning the inside of the rail.

13.) S curves can cause derailments, especially when you’re running a train in reverse. If you can’t avoid S curves, as on crossovers, minimize them. Put switches at the beginning or end of curves. Even a half-section of straight track between curves helps.

14.) If possible, use sections of broader curved track to lead into curves. For example, use a sec-tion of O-54 or O-72 to lead into an O-31 curve.

15.) (See photo.)