Power and control

DCC ready engines will work perfectly normal on an analogue model railway. In fact, DCC ready locomotives are just regular analogue (DC) models, the only difference being that they have a little bit of extra wiring installed in case you decide to...

Electrical relays perform so many different tasks that it would be very difficult to definitively say that a relay does X, Y or Z, but in essence, relays are switches that operate without you having to be there.There are no doubt many experts that...

Model trains certainly run at a voltage low enough that they can be operated from batteries, and as lithium batteries become smaller and more powerful it is plausible that a model train could run from batteries if you wish, but the question is...

If you have ever opened up a traditional brushed DC motor (the motor on older model railway locomotives), you would have been greeted with a solid outer casing with a component inside that spins around. A closer inspection of the bit that spins...

A toggle switch is one of the most basic switches used on model railways, but it's also one of the most useful!A toggle switch is a compact switch that uses a lever to be activated. It is easy to install and easy to wire, operation of the switch...

A blanking plate is a little circuit board that can be plugged into a DCC model railway locomotive. Its function is to by-pass all of the circuitry that DCC models use therefore turning a DCC model into a regular analogue (DC) model. This...

The installation of signals on a layout is always an exciting part of the build, but it can be a little daunting if you want to install powered-signals and don't have a lot of experience working with electrics. But don't worry, it is really easy...

DC motors such as the ones in your model engines, work on the principle of an armature (made of several wire coils to create a series of electromagnets) spinning around inside a casing that has regular magnets placed around its inner wall. The...

A push-to-break switch is a button that can be pressed to break a circuit. The break in the circuit is only effective for as long as the button is physically pressed in because the switches do not lock into position, current will again flow once...

Feedback on an analogue controller is a function that detects if your model train is experiencing difficulty climbing a gradient or struggling due to voltage drop, the controller then automatically applies more power to counteract the effects.It...

Model engines that are 'DCC fitted' are fully equipped with a decoder and other electronics enabling them to operate from a DCC (Digital Command Control) controller. This is not to be confused with models that are 'DCC ready' which merely...

If you have never built a model railway before then it may not be obvious how to supply your model railway tracks with power. Starter packs provide all the equipment, connections and instructions needed for a new modeller to get started, however,...