[thainglo]

I'm looking forward to bringing my Dad's old trainset (1952) back to life, but need to replace ALL the wiring, including transformer, switches, etc. The insulation is all cracked and brittle. Can anyone point me in a direction for some options on replacement? I've been reading that 18ga is the right thickness, some of the cables are two, three, and four-wires across.

Thanks for any help!
Matt

 

[RichT]

You can try radio shack for the wire. They sell spools of wire, sadly not as many varieties as they once did...

There is a red/black 18g pair that is good for track power. You don't really need 18g for the switches. They don't sell a 3 pair roll but you can get 3 different color rolls of 24g and twist them together.... I do this by putting one end of each in a vice, and put the other ends of equal length in a drill and twisting them a little past tight, You can also look around at your local hobby shops and train shops. The Lionel site lets you search for dealers in your area... they will have wire and transformers as well.

 

[thainglo]

Thanks - great tips on both the wire source and twisting. I've heard of the drill tip a couple of times, never had a chance to try out, until now!

 

[Big Ed]

Find some old telephone wire that has been thrown away.
Inside the casing is a whole bunch of different colored wiring.

This is good for lights and some accessories, but for the track power use at least 18 gauge to carry the power.

I use 14 gauge for the track power.

 

[RichT]

Find some old telephone wire that has been thrown away.
Inside the casing is a whole bunch of different colored wiring.

Good Idea Ed... RS sells Bulk Phone cable if you can't find it junk... Just remember that sometimes that cable is solid core, and doesn't like being bent too much

You can also find some used (Or New) CAT-5 (network) cable. it has a bunch of multi colored wire in it as well