Quote from: Jim Banner on May 01, 2011, 02:04:41 AM
If you are concerned about snagging the wires or accidentally shorting the supply and return wires, then by all means use insulated supply wires but still use a heavy, bare wire for the common return.  The advantage is that it is easier to connect to the bare wire, especially when it is the return for all the lights, turnouts, animation etc. and has lots of feeder wires connected to it.  If all your other wires are insulated, then it is impossible to accidentally short them to the return wire.  If you are concerned about "grounding out" that single bare wire, you can forestall any possibility of problems by purposely grounding it to an actual ground like a water pipe.  Personal preference, definitely.  But it is a good system that works well.

Jim

I'm new to trains and I'm at the point on my train table that I want to wire lights under the table.  Anyone have a suggestion as to a good source for instruction and what electrical parts that I'll need.  How to I connect all the lighted pieces to one power source, but still have control through switches to turn some on and some off.  I don't have DCC.  Help please