Two of the Walthers kits bashed together would make a nice representation.

On 4/5/2025 9:58 PM, Ken Harstine wrote:

Here is Walthers idea of one:

Way smaller and simpler than the one in Manteca just north of route 120.

Seems you might want this book.

In the end it is a bunch of industrial buildings and you just need to find buildings that represent the portions you need to model.

Ken Harstine

?

-- 
Todd K Stearns

So, everything you model is 100% full size? No selective compression?

It must be nice to have a warehouse to build a layout in. Geez!


On 4/5/2025 11:23 AM, Karen Goldberg wrote:

Yes, but it is very tiny compared to a real sugar mill plant, Look at pictures of real sugar beet mills and you will see how really large they are.
?????? Ira





Quoting Todd K Stearns <toddsyr@...>:

Nice job. I like the detail inside the loading dock doors.


On 4/5/2025 9:23 AM, Kim Saign wrote:

Yes, the Bergen National Laser kit is a great refinery. I built mine as an American Crystal Sugar plant.

Kim Saign

--
Todd K Stearns

--
Todd K Stearns

Yes, but it is very tiny compared to a real sugar mill plant, Look at pictures of real sugar beet mills and you will see how really large they are.
?????? Ira





Quoting Todd K Stearns <toddsyr@...>:

Nice job. I like the detail inside the loading dock doors.


On 4/5/2025 9:23 AM, Kim Saign wrote:

Yes, the Bergen National Laser kit is a great refinery. I built mine as an American Crystal Sugar plant.

Kim Saign

--
Todd K Stearns

Nice job. I like the detail inside the loading dock doors.


On 4/5/2025 9:23 AM, Kim Saign wrote:

Yes, the Bergen National Laser kit is a great refinery. I built mine as an American Crystal Sugar plant.

Kim Saign

--
Todd K Stearns

Hello all,

I am looking for a way to add a sugar beet refinery. Beside, completely scratch building it, are there any kits available or multiple kits that can be combined together? (either wood or plastic)

Tanks in advance for your input

Cheers
Yves

The line near the bottom should read:

"I have on hand 400' of 20 gauge and smaller amounts of 10 and 12 gauge wires."


On 3/16/2025 2:46 PM, Todd K Stearns wrote:

Hi folks,

?After many years at getting to this stage, I'm about ready to start having my Tortoise switch machines

and my track block sections wired up to my control panel.


?All of my track currently has bus wires and feeders installed. Cuts will be made into the track to isolate

the block sections. Tortoise switch machines already in, just need to be connected to the control panel toggles.


?Here's the questions:

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the Tortoise switch machines?

Wire length will range from 3' to 17'.

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the track block bus wires?

Wire length will range from 4' to 16'.

I have on hand 400' of 20 gauge and smaller amounts of 20 and 12 gauge wires.

Thanks for any assistance provided.

Todd,

If you are just powering the tortoise motors from a dc source and flipping polarity with a control board dpdt switch you should be fine running 20g wire out to your tortoise switch machines, i don’t think they draw much power at all.

But to verify just cut a chunk of your 20g wire the length of your longest run [sounds like around 17’] and just test it with a toggle switch wired to your power supply for the points and the other end to any easily accessible tortoise point [or a spare on the bench if you have one]. You should have negligible power drop in 20’ of 20g at lower amperage im guessing a tortoise motor draws. Wont matter how many you end up wiring up as each is its own circuit from the power supply thru your toggle switch on the control board and then out to the point motor. Only issue could be if you try throwing a whole bunch at once and try to pull more power than your power supply can put out, but thats not a factor of the wire gauge on each circuit as each circuit is just feeding one point motor.

10g or 12g would be way overkill to just wire a tortoise point and very bulky feeding into your control panel for a number of points.

Cheers

Jeff

On Mar 16, 2025, at 2:47?PM, Todd K Stearns <toddsyr@...> wrote:

?Hi folks,

After many years at getting to this stage, I'm about ready to start having my Tortoise switch machines

and my track block sections wired up to my control panel.


All of my track currently has bus wires and feeders installed. Cuts will be made into the track to isolate

the block sections. Tortoise switch machines already in, just need to be connected to the control panel toggles.


Here's the questions:

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the Tortoise switch machines?

Wire length will range from 3' to 17'.

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the track block bus wires?

Wire length will range from 4' to 16'.

I have on hand 400' of 20 gauge and smaller amounts of 20 and 12 gauge wires.

Thanks for any assistance provided.

--
Todd K Stearns

Don't forget that a Tortoise switch machine will draw 15-16 ma at stall!
That doesn't affect the wire size (actually, could but 20g wire should suffice), but it needs to be considered when choosing a power supply.
-bruce

Bruce G Alcock?| OK N-Rail?| 405-381-4314?| nytrr@...


-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Jeffrey Reynolds
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2025 3:16 PM
To: Todd K Stearns <toddsyr@...>
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [n-scale] Wire gauge question

Todd,

If you are just powering the tortoise motors from a dc source and flipping polarity with a control board dpdt switch you should be fine running 20g wire out to your tortoise switch machines, i don’t think they draw much power at all.

But to verify just cut a chunk of your 20g wire the length of your longest run [sounds like around 17’] and just test it with a toggle switch wired to your power supply for the points and the other end to any easily accessible tortoise point [or a spare on the bench if you have one]. You should have negligible power drop in 20’ of 20g at lower amperage im guessing a tortoise motor draws. Wont matter how many you end up wiring up as each is its own circuit from the power supply thru your toggle switch on the control board and then out to the point motor. Only issue could be if you try throwing a whole bunch at once and try to pull more power than your power supply can put out, but thats not a factor of the wire gauge on each circuit as each circuit is just feeding one point motor.

10g or 12g would be way overkill to just wire a tortoise point and very bulky feeding into your control panel for a number of points.

Cheers

Jeff

On Mar 16, 2025, at 2:47?PM, Todd K Stearns <toddsyr@...> wrote:

?Hi folks,

After many years at getting to this stage, I'm about ready to start having my Tortoise switch machines

and my track block sections wired up to my control panel.


All of my track currently has bus wires and feeders installed. Cuts will be made into the track to isolate

the block sections. Tortoise switch machines already in, just need to be connected to the control panel toggles.


Here's the questions:

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the Tortoise switch machines?

Wire length will range from 3' to 17'.

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the track block bus wires?

Wire length will range from 4' to 16'.

I have on hand 400' of 20 gauge and smaller amounts of 20 and 12 gauge wires.

Thanks for any assistance provided.

--
Todd K Stearns

On Mar 16, 2025, at 2:47?PM, Todd K Stearns <toddsyr@...> wrote:

?Hi folks,

After many years at getting to this stage, I'm about ready to start having my Tortoise switch machines

and my track block sections wired up to my control panel.


All of my track currently has bus wires and feeders installed. Cuts will be made into the track to isolate

the block sections. Tortoise switch machines already in, just need to be connected to the control panel toggles.


Here's the questions:

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the Tortoise switch machines?

Wire length will range from 3' to 17'.

What gauge wire should I use going to the control panel toggles to the track block bus wires?

Wire length will range from 4' to 16'.

I have on hand 400' of 20 gauge and smaller amounts of 20 and 12 gauge wires.

Thanks for any assistance provided.

--
Todd K Stearns