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Model Railway
DC Control
Power Control Unit
If you have brought a train set with track then you should have
been supplied with a power control unit. It usually consists of
a transformer (to reduce the mains voltage to a level that's
safe) and a control box (a variable resister which controls the
speed of the train). To connect this to the track use a power
clip or power track. The Hornby clip simply fits between the
sleepers and the track at special points (indicated by two
arrows pointing at each other). It can be a little bit fiddly
but you should get the hang of it. Once this is inserted into
the track you simply have to insert the leads (Note: they can go
in either way round but that each way round will result in the
train going in a different direction) and away you go.
 
In my experience the power clips look a bit
odd on a layout. This is why I decided to do without them and connect two
wires to the track instead, at the same point the power clip is inserted. I
then ran the wires out through a hole below the track so that they couldn't
be seen. I then soldered the other ends of the wire to a power clip and
glued that to the bottom of the board so that I could continue to use the
same controller leads from my control box.
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