Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
For years I've always been told that it was impossible to use a 3-wire stay alive with decoders that are configured for use with 2-wire stay alives. So it essentially became a matter of gospel truth. So I was a bit shocked when Nick Santo of NixTrainz contacted me recently to say the designer of his Power Bridge stay alives told him a secret for using the 3-wire devices with 2-wire decoders. So I decided I'd share that secret with you and hope you find it useful. It's an easy wiring trick but may not work with all types of 3-wire stay alives as you'll see in the video.
For years I've always been told that it was impossible to use a 3-wire stay alive with decoders that are configured for use with 2-wire stay alives. So it essentially became a matter of gospel truth. So I was a bit shocked when Nick Santo of NixTrainz contacted me recently to say the designer of his Power Bridge stay alives told him a secret for using the 3-wire devices with 2-wire decoders. So I decided I'd share that secret with you and hope you find it useful. It's an easy wiring trick but may not work with all types of 3-wire stay alives as you'll see in the video.
