Dear ???

< Insert Mandatory

- what scale/gauge are we talking?
- What size of layout?
- How many Power-districts are we talking?
- How many Sound-equipped/Non-sound-equipped locos will be on powered trackage simultaneously?
(IE during layout "cold power up" sequence)
- How many loco expected to be _running_ at max capacity/demand?
- Do you really need a Big Bulletproof-level solution?

foundation questions HERE >

Both approaches have their issues:

One _Heavy_ buss line around the layout to distributed breakers/localised section wiring

- Logical,
- uses less wire overall

but that _Heavy_ buss line will need to carry _the entire_ peak-demand current for the entire layout.
That's welding-level current, over a significant distance. Get it wrong, and things could get very exciting very quickly...

It also implies that there is one monster Booster feeding the entire "Buss + distributed breaker" system.

"Power Desk" Centralised breakers and "octopus" wiring distribution

- simplifies and centralises the "techie component" bits
- less "Heavy Current" wire runs or distance

However, the resulting "octopus" of lower-rated Breaker <> track wire runs represents more-discrete wires
(looks "complex" due to the bundles of wire)

and likely totals up into a signifcantly larger quantity of wire overall
(if a number of power-runs are all heading in the same direction from the central "power desk" location, there's a lot of "duplicated cable distance"

Mystery option #3 : "Control buss" + Distributed (smaller) boosters

One possibility that you may not have considered is: 

instead of breaking the layout into "one Big booster feeding many breakers",

run a lighter buss-line around the layout from the command station, 
and use many _lower_ power/smaller boosters localised to each "power district"???

IE instead of 1x 10Amp monster booster powering everything

run maybe 2 or 3x smaller 5A boosters???

http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products/dccbooster.html

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Of course, I remember you. BUT, I wouldn't have connected you to your screen name without the private eMail you sent to me.

I think the Professor has hit all the buttons.

Option 1 is what we did on out club layout.

Option 2 is what a lot of folks do with bedroom-sized layouts

Option 3 is what I'm doing with my HO layout. http://mrdccu.com/layouts/SMVRR/

I've written about layout wiring in several columns, the original one being my third column http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh-2011-12-dec/dcc_impulses

I have a new Facebook page as a place for DCC discussions, too. Just post comments as a visitor (and Like it, too). https://www.facebook.com/763811727097319

If you still have questions, post them here.

Thanks for the input Bruce and Professor, just wanted at least  two opinions on this. Most of my previous layouts were small enough that this wasn't something that I needed to consider.

So with that I think the option 3 that the both of you seem to strongly recommend will be the way to go. Thanks for the info on the Tam Valley unit Professor I wasn't aware of such a thing and these will do nicely filling both roles as circuit breaker and additional power.

Now I can get moving and do the initial wiring now that I have a plan. Oh and Bruce by the way still using all the tips you gave me all those years ago: terminal strips to connect everything, 20 gauge thermostat wire for feeders, 12 gauge stranded for bus wire and EVERY rail get a feeder. Those have been tried and true and have never left me with the DCC nightmares that some folks experience.

Good to hear you are doing well and it's nice to see you on MRH still doing articles, I still vividly remember your "Getting the Sound Out" class at one of the NMRA meets and the reaction from everyone in the room.

Thanks again to the both of you!!!

I have a pretty large layout I am building covering about 2000 sq ft.  I have 4 boosters scattered around the Layout.  Each booster has at least one breaker.  The wires go two ways from each booster so that if I find one booster is getting over worked I can disconnect one wire, add in another booster and not have to rewire anything.  

I don't like running all my wires back to one place as on a layout this large it would be an issue.  I kind of view it as I have four electrically separate but physically connected layouts.  I do locate any reverse units out and about the Layout as close to the location the serve as I can get as I like to be able to see the indicators on them while seeing the actual reverse loop. 

-Doug M

Modeling the C&O in the New River Gorge in 1943.,

shows my wiring plan for my HO bedroom sized layout.

This, from a recent column . . .

Sat, 2016-02-13 14:09 — Bruce Petrarca

shows my wiring plan for my HO bedroom sized layout.

Yep, that's how I'm running the G&AM, just more of the Tam Valley boosters.

So when using the TAM Valley units as a booster they will simply power themselves off if there is no signal on the bus wire to it? Is that correct?

The reason I ask is that anything that is plugged into a wall outlet or circuit I normally like to have a master kill switch for power to turn everything off on the layout when I'm done. Is that not necessary with these if I'm understanding that they completely turn themselves off unless they are receiving initial power from the bus to turn them on?

The entire layout will be powered off a UPS (for a reason why, see one of my earliest colulmns about layout wiring).

The primary power for the TVD boosters will be interuuped by a switch.