Splicing.

This...

...has turned into this...

...and it all works! (So far!)

These quick splice crimps (from CPC of course) have been great - they clip onto the main bus wire, the dropper wire slots into the second hole and butts up against an end stop, then the blade contact is crimped across both conductors using pliers. The insulating lid is then folded down and clips into place. It can get a bit tough on the hands after 50 splices as you need to exert some force on the pliers to crush the splice down, but they are reliable and made the whole job so much quicker than terminal blocks or soldering. 

Everything is cable tied to the underside of the board using 19x19mm adhesive bases - both from Amazon. The dead-end splices have two cable ties to stop them slipping out, and the trailing main bus feed wires have been loomed together using electrical tape and the bare ends tinned. I may put a connector on the end and make a Junction box that sits on the floor for each board to plug into, along with the controller feed. One for another day.

My two dusty old locos are running as well as I can expect, but the time has come for a brand new ready-to-run engine to test my track laying, electrics, and magnetic decoupling properly and hopefully provide some more enjoyable running sessions free from the “giant hand in the sky”.

So, I’ve splurged this months budget on a DJ Models GWR 1361 from KMRC. At £69 I hope its as good a bargain as the reviews suggest...