This conserves the trains' power supply for their needs and makes troubleshooting much easier. 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. Forgot about light bulbs since I don't got some yet. Mike, The size of the transformer is dictated by what you want to run, the more you run the more power you will need. Safety first. The CW-80 Transformer was meant to operate on 120-volt, 60-Hertz power. Ive talked more about the KW here. DCC is less common in starter sets, but some are available. My layout I am building is 5 sheets of 4x8 plywood and it will probaly take me 100 years to build it (I hope I have that much time left). A solid and stranded wire of the same gauge will be the same total diameter. Thus an appliance with a 15-ampere plug (the usual kind with parallel blades) must draw no more than 12 amperes. What does a Lionel transformer do? (8 lights X 20 watts = 160 watts). Lionel Multi-Car Freight Sets + More MTH Halloween! THE BASICS "O", "S", "HO". Please see our article on Fastrack here for more information. A large number of the Lionel Collectors Club UK use this set up to good effect. :-). Hello, I'm new to this site, and completely new to toy trains also - so please pardon my ignorance! The wire can also be purchased as solid or stranded. Past,presentand future. They are fun to have. Not unlike the relationship between the locomotive engineer and the fireman. The Lionel Track & Power catalog is BACK with the latest information for more ways to make your layout even bigger, better and more powerful! They are reasonably durable and were popular in their day, which means there are still a lot of them floating around so they tend to be inexpensive. I bet they would be great for running lights and unloading the main transformer. The Lionel RW also happens to be a great transformer for Marx or American Flyer trains too, when you connect the track leads to the B and U posts instead of the A and U posts youd normally use for most Lionel setups. On the flip side, the new transformers do not seem to work as well with the prewar whistle tenders.Has anyone else noticed this anomaly? The iconic and legendary 270-watt Lionel ZW was the biggest and best transformer Lionel made in the postwar era. Mark. 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. These are all good, dependable transformers from the postwar era that are easy to find today, have adequate wattages ranging from 90-270 watts, have a circuit breaker for safety and have a whistle controller. We feature Lionel, American Flyer, MTH, Atlas O, Williams Trains, K-Line, Weaver Models, and more. Viola, DCS on alternate power blocks, Max signal, Happiness. I have had the same problem. They are known as HO train sets because they are half the size of O-guage. Just like with your track bus and feeders, running an accessory bus of slightly heavier wire to connect to each light or accessory with a smaller feeder is a good plan. As time goes on you can add higher wattage bricks one by one. 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. editors report that most of the wiring issues they address involve basic principles of electricity - the stuff that Ben Franklin played with when he flew his kite. Also, I found an old guide printed by lionel on power requirements. There are a few standards when it comes to the color-coding. The good news is, Lionel made a lot of good transformers over the years. Members enjoy 15% off any purchase in our store. This is a old school approach for sizing cables & transformers or appliances in the electrical trade, & has never let us down. Then power every other one with one of your smaller transformers. As your layout grows so, too, will its power demand. As you can see, a lot of great helpers here. Some people even find it fun. This tool only evaluates common voltages for North America (ie. However, in the future if you continue in the hobby and your roster expands you may acquire motive power which requires larger curves than what came with your set. As Paul said, the power needed doesn't have anything to do with the distance; but the voltage needed does. God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of theNRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified. Smaller feeder wires are used to bridge the small gap from the bus to the track. Controlled Magnetics has the manufacturing experience, knowledge, and facilities to repair a wide variety of electrical power transformers. 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. Extending the Reach of Your Power Electric Trains make great power supplies, depending on usage, on a DCS controlled layout. 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. Transformer sizing for new systems For a classic setup of a single freight train running on a 48 (or smaller) sheet of plywood, a 90-watt Lionel 1033 or 1044 is an excellent choice. Use the CW-80 Transformer only for its intended purpose. Most two-rail track systems use direct current (DC). Thanks in advance for any information, Mike. They are fun to have. http://www.lccuk.org.uk/lccuk Regards Nick Save Reply Quote N Nick12DMC Registered This has the added advantage that Lionel TMCC (command control) will operate correctly. Understanding Electrical Supplies and Controls. --The O Gauge Railroading Primer, by Christopher Ritchie. This is interesting stuff. The Lionel ZW has four sets of posts and six controls. Good choices are the Lionel 32923 Accessory Transformer, or another 80-watt transformer like the one included in your set, #14198. It also has an optional bell sound that can be turned on and off. Ive talked more about the Lionel RW and the LW as well. Like command control, these trains still require a constant voltage to the rails. The 1044 is just a 1033 in a . That means there are lots of them. If you are wiring with a common rail for your blocks, then keeping the common rail the same color all the time while changing the color for the other rail in each block is also an option. I use to use one KW for 70 feet of main line, sidings and switching yard entry track. 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. (NEW/LIKE NEW), running TMCC And DCS engines with DCS handheld, terrible crash in Greece, multiple fatalities, Its.Public Delivery Track ..NEWSpecial run corner, Improving Appearance of 0-gauge Tubular Track. Right now I am running 8 motors on one KW [the new one I found] and got the old one for reserve. Needless to say the "Spring into Spring" train show very nearly became unsprung! 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. 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. By creating alternate routes, more complex loops, and storage tracks, your trains will suddenly be even more interesting to watch and they will begin providing you the feeling that they are going somewhere and that you are running a small railroad. Checklist Transformer Size Calculator When sizing a transformer, you need to know the kilovolt-amps (KVA) that your machine requires. Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month, WELCOME TO THE FORUM Mike!! * NOTE: We do not recommend loading a transformer above 80% of its KVA rating. Lionel Trains Pocket Price Guide 1901-2022. Three conductor wire is common for household use. Don't just discard your starter set pack, though. Obviously, for a lot of people, the $700 Lionel ZW-L transformer is overkill. If the system's train transformer is run in Europe with a step-down transformer alone (converting only voltage from 230V to 115V AC at a 50 Hz), it may not operate as intended. Our community is FREE to join. Price Received. In some cases. Adding lights to buildings, streets, and other scenic accessories usually do not require anywhere near the amperage demand of the trains themselves. Make sure you are getting the right type of power supply for your layout. We're sorry. Stop it with your hand to full stall, and it goes up to four amps--sixty watts--trying to pull. Check out my O scale layout progress at MTF, does track consume power? But if you already have a 1034 and dont need a whistle button, go ahead and use it. How to open tamper resistant outlets, Xxcopy vs Xcopy: Command line copy utilities, Where to connect the red wire to a light switch, Brains 25 cents: The story behind the meme. HO gauge is very popular because of its size. Well Mike what I am about to suggest may be a little pricy or at least it was for me but I have managed to buy a new Lionel ZW. A model railroad train set designed for use in the United States will have a 115V AC 60Hz power requirement. On a large loop of track you will need to have multiple drops, hook-ups, to the transformer because if you only have one hook up the train will get slower the father away it gets from the transformer. 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. I've read that it is good practice to add feeders every 10 sections of track or sothat seems like a lot but I suppose that beats having "dead" spots in the track. --I wish I had some more cars to put behind the engine. Now, I diconnected that old dinosaur and connected two separate smaller ones which weren't powerful enough to run my Amtrack MTH trains. Make sure you are getting the right type of power supply for your layout. Most power supplies will perform very well for years if used within their limits. It is 5" long. These systems still require a power supply but it only needs to supply a constant voltage to the rails. While it is tempting to go with the biggest wire possible to guarantee excess capacity, there are drawbacks to putting in more than you need. Some systems will use bluetooth technology enabling you to control the trains with your tablet or cell phone. It will require a minimum of 108' of track just to do a basic rectangle before I add any switches, etc. The Lionel 1033 can be used for small or medium-sized layouts. Plan on using the KW's for the big layout and 1033's like I did before. Steve's rule of thumb for derating is very close to and in the same spirit as the NEC rule that an appliance may not draw more than 80 percent of the current rating of the outlet. I had 3 lionel cw80's and two quit working. Regardless of your scale, all model railroad switch machines fall into one of two categories, a slow-motion electric motor or a "twin coil" relay. Big Ed Railroad Tycoon Is there anyway of saying how much track it will power? The first Lionel electric trains were powered by wet-cell batteries, which were, of course, dangerous. Amperes = VA/Secondary Volts or 40VA/28V = 1.43 amperes. It does run on conventional power but not great and no whistle or bell. Lionel Postwar 1033 Transformer Watch on This would be more than enough for any single train and a few accessories. The next evolution in model train control is radio- or bluetooth-controlled trains. What do I need to do that with? You can also minimize voltage drop at the rail joints by soldering the rails together. Effort. It is best to use at least two different colors for your track wiring (one for each rail). Like tankist stated.It's only running multiple engines that I run into issues. I know this has nothing to do with Mike's original problem but is more of a reflection on Trainman's reply. And again regardless of scale or manufacturer, switch machines of these two types will have similar needs and performance. A lot of people are using the MTH Z1000's who have smaller layouts while others have moved up to the MTH Z4000. Tech Support for the OGR Forum (NOT FOR TRAINS), PRR fellas!lets build an S2!! I cant see you needing more than a capacity of 5 amps. Number 22 solid wire works best on most scales. LGB throttles 51070, 52120 and 52121 will all work with the 50061 and other LGB transformers. Power the odd blocks with the other transformer. The same is true for other electronic projects around your layout and inside buildings, train cars, and even locomotives. There is the 12030 Figure-8 set, which along with the track included in your set makes your layout into this: Figure-8s are great because they create a crossing, giving the appearance of a railroad junction, they break up the oval, and the parts to create them are relatively cheap. View More! Its a good transformer. Here are a few: --The Lionel Fastrack Book, by Robert Schleicher. I recently read an article/product review in the OGR magazine for the new Lioneltransformerand wassurprisedto learn that not all voltage outputwave-formsare created equal (pure sine wave versus some type of clipped sine wave). While better starter sets usually include a more robust transformer, as a general rule the power pack supplied with your starter set is just thata start. The article you suggest would be a daunting task, as you'd have to gather virtually every known locomotive and transformer! If you were to get a ZW 275 you need external short protection. . Although all Lionel cars operate on O Gauge track, the bodies of the cars are made in two slightly different sizes. He directs production at Lionel, the premier model train manufacturer, and he istheformer president of theConrail HistoricalSociety. This set also includes an uncoupling track section, which will disconnect cars from one another at the touch of a button, and a bumper, which keeps cars from rolling off the end of the track. Lionel makes a seemingly infinite number of cars to in a variety of colors, types, and road names. That could also be the reason the other transformers don't work. It states: 1.25 amps for each motor, 0.2 amps for each bulb. Here are a couple examples: As you can see, with a bit of experimentation and imagination, numerous different track layouts can be created. To determine the required transformer VA, multiply the secondary voltage by the required amperes: For example, VA=Volts x Amperes or 28V x 1.2 amperes = 33.6 VA. To determine the maximum transformer current, divide the transformer VA by transformer secondary voltage. Dave, you're so eloquent and inspiring - my undergraduate degree was in American Studies, now I'm in charge of among other things all our college's technology - also self-taught.. Hello All: Re: Dave Farquhar, Dave you left out sense of humor Regards Steve. The 1044 is just a 1033 in a different case. For a classic setup of a single freight train running on a 48 (or smaller) sheet of plywood, a 90-watt Lionel 1033 or 1044 is an excellent choice. Adding more freight or passenger cars [also known as rolling stock] to your set is another way to quickly expand your railroad. Effort. Because the runs are short and power demands so low, this fine wire poses no safety threat. As your layout grows beyond the basic oval of track that comes with most starter sets, a good power distribution network is essential to getting consistent performance from your train all the way around. 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. Although it will not have any impact on the performance of the wire within, choosing multiple colors of wire, and standardizing on a specific color for each function, will go a long way in making your wiring easier to install and easier to detect flaws later on. Traditionally, Lionel trains run on AC but there are exceptions. This works for command control layouts too, since those parked trains are still drawing some current. DCC decoders are one good example where the wire colors are critical. I'm sure I'll need more help along the way, so I'll be checking back in with more silly questions!
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