Which Country Eats The Most Breakfast Cereal, George Lucas Talk Show Second Guest, Articles W

They run on three rail track. Max Watts on one TIU is 720W. The transformer, when operated at the lower frequency, may . Check out my O scale layout progress at MTF, does track consume power? And even when Lionel trains run on AC, they sometimes do some DC trickery. Theres nothing inherently wrong with them, though I would shy away from the smaller transformers that are less than 75 watts, including the modern CW-40. I'll take this information and run with it to help get me started. OTTS Founder If your track joints aren't near perfect or if you should want to split that loop into two blocks, you'll double the voltage drop. From 25 Watts to 275 Watts, a Lionel transformer could be found for every power requirment from simple circles of track to extensive railroads. Needless to say the "Spring into Spring" train show very nearly became unsprung! Turn on the throttle, then short the A and U posts (in the case of Lionel) or variable and base posts (in the case of Flyer) with a screwdriver or a piece of wire for a maximum of five seconds. But were talking the trains that are in the absolute best condition and might not have ever run on the track. Below weve listed these transformers in numerical order in the Numerical Index. By only supplying power to the trains that need it, you can greatly reduce your needs. Transformer for Lionel that works in AUSTRALIA (using 4 of the 180 watt Lionel bricks) That's 10 amps per channel on all 4 channels. Part of the Lionel line since the 1930s, the gateman today is offered not only with a regular railroad-type figure, but also in versions with Santa Claus and a nutcracker figure for the Christmas season. Remember, the only silly question is the one that you did not ask. Lionel is also introducing a new 180 watt transformer to accompany the 80 watt CW 80. Lionel, LLC continued to manufacture and market trains and accessories in O scale under the Lionel brand and S gauge under the American Flyer brand. Do not use this device if water is present. If your layout is bigger than 48, you may actually find trains run a bit better with a KW than with a smaller transformer. Handbook of layout wiring | Classic Toy Trains Magazine DCC is less common in starter sets, but some are available. I suggest that you proactively lay an 10-2 AWG NM cable (or at least 12-2) along the track and tap into it as needed to keep the voltage up. The smaller of the two is #12028, which turns your oval into this: There is also the larger 12031 plan, which has a couple extra straight track pieces included, creating this: Even better, one or more of the expansion sets can be combined to create even more interesting track layouts. Add a PW dual motor F3 (4 amps) with 5 lighted cars (another 10 bulbs - 1 amp) and you are cooking (9 amps). Accessories often interact with the train, such as a crossing gate that lowers as the train passes. This diagram shows all of the controls and the pinout for the Lionel RW transformer. But a 12-gauge solid wire is one strand, while a 12-gauge stranded wire may be made up of more than a dozen much smaller individual strands spun together. These systems still require a power supply but it only needs to supply a constant voltage to the rails. If the second digit is 9, it could be either, so be careful when considering one of them. UpBright 18V AC/DC Adapter Compatible with Lionel O Gauge Fastrack 10" Remote Control Terminal Straight LionChief System Track 6-1923100 HKYF45-180230T-US DC18V 2300mA 18VDC Power Supply Cord Charger. Starter set locomotives can pull up to 12 cars easily, and most can handle up to 20, so building a longer train will not harm your engine. The smaller the number, the larger the wire. In some cases. I have purchased diodes to put into the older transformers to see if this resolves the issue with newer tenders. You should take care, however, to replace worn cords and wires. By continuing to use this site, you indicate you accept these terms. Lionel 1033 90 Watt Multi-control Transformer (102) $9.99 1 bid $16.00 shipping 2d 9h Lionel Type Z 250 Watt Transformer & One 167 Whistle Controllers. It can be a great secondary power supply for lighted buildings, signals, and other accessories. www.spankybird.shutterfly.com, God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of theNRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified. I paid $75 + shipping for mine a year ago. (10 lights X . Again, if you have a very long run between switches, going a little larger is less likely to cause problems with voltage loss. It will require a minimum of 108' of track just to do a basic rectangle before I add any switches, etc. With the ever-increasing amount of small electronics in today's sophisticated models, this protection is more important than ever. EXPLORE FasTrack 10" Straight Track 4-Pack 6-12032 $ 21.99 FasTrack Grade Crossing with Flashers 6-12052 $ 99.99 FasTrack O36 Curved Track 4-Pack 6-12033 $ 21.99 Legacy AMC-2 Motor Controller If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Ryan developsmodeltrainlayouts for public andprivate display. It was a symbiotic relationship, the engineer designed it and the tech built it, then they both troubleshot it. A Passenger consist can easily use more power than the engine. A while back, approximately 2 weeks ago while running two very lengthy loops of fast track an old transformer nearly fried (50 years old) one of my wires that I was running to my Fastrac. If you found this post informative or helpful, please share it! what size lionel transformer do i need. QUOTE: by Skyray "Typical engineer--you need a technician. My question is.how big of a transformer will I need to power this thing? If you have the proper wire size and a properly-sized circuit breaker, you should not have any problems using the old transformer. 5 years of Classic Toy Trains at your fingertips! That was before all the technician assemby work was outsourced overseas and they left the poor engineers to fend for themselves. But after a little while, you will likely want your train to do more, and youll start thinking along these lines: --It sure would be neat if it did more than run in a circle. Mint-in-box examples of vintage Lionel trains are still valuable and will continue to appreciate in value over time, because there are so few of them. Reverse the above if planning to run mostly Lionel and go with the Lionel command system, either the full Legacy system or the upcoming CAB-1L and just add a Track Power Controller and a cable to run most MTH engines in conventional with the Lionel systems. A model railroad train set designed for use in the United States will have a 115V AC 60Hz power requirement. For most layouts, and most scales, Number14 stranded wire will work best for your bus. That might work, but it's probably borderline, especially if you are using something like a 1033 transformer that tops out at 16 volts. New trains; old transformers | Classic Toy Trains Magazine Most feeders will be only a few inches long so the smaller diameter wire will not be a problem. A solid and stranded wire of the same gauge will be the same total diameter. My current layout uses about 28 sections of track (Lionel o-27). A large number of the Lionel Collectors Club UK use this set up to good effect. The Atlas and Bachmann 80 watt transformers, they are one and the same, can be had for around $75.00. And that means theyre affordable. The smallest wire you can work with will be more than sufficient. At fifteen volts which is about as much as I can put to it without jumping the track, it pulls an average of 2.5 amps, or 37.5 watts--less than one tenth of the transformer capacity of 400. Also, you must have a built-in circuit breaker to prevent a short circuit from causing permanent damage to the power supply or the trains. In most cases, stranded wire is preferred because the multiple threads provide more conductivity and flexibility. Mike, The size of the transformer is dictated by what you want to run, the more you run the more power you will need. Electric Trains make great power supplies, depending on usage, on a DCS controlled layout. Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers' Henry V. I am a person with a very active inner child. Power the odd blocks with the other transformer. These small power supplies are designed to supply a few amps of power. If you add feeders to the track at the farthest point (remember to get the same wire to the same rails) you will not slow down at the farthest point. If this happens, you will need another transformer to share the load. The article you suggest would be a daunting task, as you'd have to gather virtually every known locomotive and transformer! View More! Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. What type is your old transformer? Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following, $12.00 per 12 Months (plus tax if applicable). So far, I haven't seen any way to do this except to take amp measurements or just wing it and see how hot your transformer gets. Most recommend the TPCs over the powermasters The CW 80 will work to begin with. But if you already have a 1034 and dont need a whistle button, go ahead and use it. Expanding Your Lionel Starter Set - Trainz Plug one of your transformers into each Fixed in. If you have to ask,your needs are a lot more modest than that. Model Train Scales & Gauges: The Lionel Trains Guide I can remember a time when a Lionel ZW would set you back $275. Over the years I have collected boxed (mostly liquor boxes) sets from attics.So I have a variety of transformers on hand. The least expensive power supply you should consider is the Lionel CW80 Transformer; you can buy a new one for about $150 or a used on one eBay for about $60. Just connect the jumper wires to the same connections on the back of your transformer as your original connections, and make sure that the wires are not crossed. I run an MTH 4-6-2 PS-1 pulling five Madisons on about fifty feet of track and the transformer I am using (Z-4000) has a digital amp readout. Classification/marker lights on the PRR steam engine, For Sale: Lionel 6-11127 Legacy Southern Pacific GS-4 Daylight, Lionel Bethlehem Steel slag car and ATLAS NYC Baggage car, Lionel O 2333790 TrainWorld & RBP Trains Chris Raines -Exclusive - Katy LEGACY ES44AC #2021, Converting MTH Rail king GS-4 PROTO 2 to ERR Cruise Commander, The Harpers Ferry Layout II - Backdrop panels completed. Serving these devices with their own dedicated supply will not only allow you to supply them with a proper constant voltage, but it will also free your main power supply to handle the load of the train itself. White and black are common selections. Doug, there's definitely room for the liberal arts approach to the hobby--I have a journalism degree; how I became a computer technician was pretty much an accident. All Lionel transformer comparisons should start here. Lionel 1033 90 watt Transformer Postwar from 1950s-60s Whistle, Direction.