Reference Material for Building a Module

Below are two diagrams depicting the top side and bottom side of a module.  By clicking on the diagrams you can see an expanded picture

Top Side View of an HO Module

Bottom of an HO Layout

Wiring

Anderson Power Pole Connector

Module Wiring diagram

To ensure consistent wiring between club modules the following standards are in place

1. All wiring between modules is provided by Don McNab in the form of a wiring harness. The wiring harness consists of 16 gauge wire in the NMRA standard color codes. The harness comes in three parts.
   1. short piece of wire to run from your terminal block to the Anderson Power Pole connector on the left side
   2. Long piece of wire to run the length of the module between the two terminal blocks
   3. short piece of wire to run from your terminal block to the Anderson Power Pole connector on the right side

   The cost for the wiring harness is as follows

   1. HO Module consisting of 2 tracks and 4 wires $25
   2. N Module consisting of 3 tracks and 6 wires $30
2. Module owners must not splice into the wiring harnesses, as doing so can cause the wire to be nicked, which would reduce the current-carrying capacity.
3. Module owners need to use screws or barrier terminal blocks to connect their track feeder wires to the wiring harnesses.
4. One set of connectors on a wiring harness will have a black stripe down one side. This set goes on the right/east end of a module (when viewed from the front).

One advantage of the Powerpole connectors over alternatives is that they are genderless (there is no need for separate "male" and "female" plugs).  Another advantage is that the electrical contacts are "self-cleaning" due to the swiping action that occurs when plugging and unplugging the connectors.