On my layout I don't want to mess with the e-unit not cycling correctly as I try to line the car up and put the train into nuetral, so I'm wiring my operating sections so they work when the power is off.
I have a relay circuit that gets a constant 12V that uses yellow wire already in place under the layout. You can wire to any tap on your transformer that results in 12-14V positive.
The RCS and UCS tracks are DIFFERENT. Hard Wiring RCS Tracks:The controller has a four-conductor cable that lays flat on the table so the leftmost wire from the controller connects to the left terminal on the RCS track. That terminal is numbered 1.
When I rewire the controllers I mark the leftmost wire with a dab of red paint after stripping and tinning the 4 wires. It looks like this:
On a RCS track, the number 4 screw terminal is connected to the center rail and provides positive current to the controller. Peel the 4th wire back and soldier a feeder wire to it so it looks like this:
A bit of 1/4" shrink tube cleans the patch up and prevents shorts:
When you wire the controller to the layout, the yellow wire is connected to positive and the other wires are connected to terminals 1 thru 3.
The dab of red paint from the paint pen helps you get the wires correct, and isn't that noticable. You could also use black paint. I keep paint pens in my work desk.
Here's a long shot of the wired track with the controller in the front:
The visible wires by the controller will get pushed under the layout when the skirting is applied.
Hard Wiring UCS Tracks:The UCS track uses the same 4-conductor wire as the RCS track, but the UCS has the positive feed at terminal 3.
It's the same process as the RCS, but with the 3rd wire rather than the 4th. Here's one you can see easily:
After the addition of a short section of 1/4" shrink tube:
When you put it on the layout, the yellow wire goes to a 12-14V positive source just like the RCS track shown at the top.
Simple Uncoupler Only Wiring:On my layout I have sidings behind the coal and log loaders and don't need the unload button so I use only a Lionel 90 push button. If you just want to use the uncouple features, you can wire the RCS and UCS tracks up to a momentary contact button like the 90 or 96C.
Again, the UCS and RCS tracks are different. Wiring RCS Tracks To A # 90 Push Button:
On the RCS terminals 2 and 3 connect to the actuator rails. A simple wire from a transformer + post through a momentary contact button to terminals two and three is all you need.
It looks like this:
Wiring UCS Tracks To A # 90 Push Button:
On the UCS terminals 2 and 4 connect to the actuator rails and magnet. A simple wire from a transformer + post through a momentary contact button to terminals two and four is all you need.
Here's the UCS wired up:
If you have more than one siding in an area, you can use one pushbutton for all of them.
