Here are a couple examples: As you can see, with a bit of experimentation and imagination, numerous different track layouts can be created. Effort. Although all Lionel cars operate on O Gauge track, the bodies of the cars are made in two slightly different sizes. Sign-up for email today! Not really a how-to-build-a-layout book, but it is a good general introduction to the hobby full of interesting stuff. Can't plug into outlet? Fortunately, in the early 21st century it is easier to expand your starter set than ever before. The Lionel 1033 can be used for small or medium-sized layouts. Mark. Length of track or type of track doesn't (or shouldn't) matter. is always one of the first questions asked when someone starts to build a model railroad. With two switches, you can create an alternative route for your trains. The first Lionel electric trains were powered by wet-cell batteries, which were, of course, dangerous. Trainz carries a variety of books that build upon the information listed above. The CW-80 is a nice little transformer, has accessory output as well,but as you have stated you will outgrow the CW-80 pretty quick. All Lionel transformer comparisons should start here. I think the RW is a bit better value, but that could just be timing. A Passenger consist can easily use more power than 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. All Lionel transformer comparisons should include the common 1033, RW, LW, KW and ZW transformers. Good choices are the Lionel 32923 Accessory Transformer, or another 80-watt transformer like the one included in your set, #14198. Viola, DCS on alternate power blocks, Max signal, Happiness. The 1044 is just a 1033 in a . As far as new transformers go, someone else may be able to help more than I can. By only supplying power to the trains that need it, you can greatly reduce your needs. Like tankist stated.It's only running multiple engines that I run into issues. :-). 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. Sell Your Trains Using a Live Auction House. (8 lights X 20 watts = 160 watts). For a 300W set up this will cost you about 100. In this case Id go with a postwar TW 175 watt transformer. This means that they are not exact 1:48 replicas of the real thing but instead are selectively compressed to negotiate the tight turns of regular Lionel track. Here are some simple definitions for these electrical terms: Most power supplies will be labeled as to the scales they are meant to handle. The 190-wattLionel KWwas the second biggest and second best transformer of the postwar era. 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. A solid and stranded wire of the same gauge will be the same total diameter. As the motor takes in more electricity, the arm turns faster and faster. A 10 amp breaker and 16 gauge wire would be appropriate for an old ZW. DCC is less common in starter sets, but some are available. The only time you might not get your full moneys worth is during operation of locomotives equipped with Lionels TMCC or MTHs DCS command-control systems. 12V DC to 120V AC 60Hz pure sine inverter. 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. Everything you need to get going is included, its reliable, and setup is usually very easy. Many will still run on the track in your starter set, but because they are scale sized, the bodies of these cars may be slightly wider and longer than those in your set. This drawing illustrates all of the key functionality of a Lionel KW transformer. It will require a minimum of 108' of track just to do a basic rectangle before I add any switches, etc. They are known as HO train sets because they are half the size of O-guage. Number 26 to 20 wire (depending on the length of your bus) will be sufficient for most applications. It can be a great secondary power supply for lighted buildings, signals, and other accessories. Everyone wanted the two-handled, football-shaped, 275-watt powerhouse that was the ZW. And of course, Lionel also makes lots of figures to populate your town. If you have time, check out the "Coffee Pot". Most feeders will be only a few inches long so the smaller diameter wire will not be a problem. The same is true for other electronic projects around your layout and inside buildings, train cars, and even locomotives. That's about enough to run a single locomotive and perhaps power a few lighted accessories or passenger cars. Plug one of your transformers into each Fixed in. With multiple switches, lights, power supplies and more all concentrated in a small space, color coding and neatness pay off. You don't really need a diagram -- you want to pick your interval (some would recommend as often as 3'), drill a hole down through your base, and connect a wire to a bus which runs beneath the layout and connects to your transformer (obviously, you need two wires, one for each powered rail). Because of this, like with lighting and accessories, your power supply and wiring for switch machines do not need to be as robust. Ok our layout is 10 x 20 = 200 sq ft x 2 = 400 watts. Big Ed Railroad Tycoon Amperes = VA/Secondary Volts or 40VA/28V = 1.43 amperes. Likewise, if you only want to run one train at a time, you can keep other trains on the track by wiring with blocks, and turning off trains that are not in use. Safety first. Of course, the answer to that question depends on many things. Most people start with a pre-packaged train set. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Unlimited Members, sign in to enjoy sitewide access. its the amount of engines you need to worry about, I'm currently running my entire layout on a single DC power supply that came with an Athearn engine/track set. Keeping in mind that I will likely continue to add to the layout as my addiction develops! When they were manufactured by The American Flyer Manufacturing Company, they were made in Standard Gauge and a version of "O" gauge. Classic cars have a 5 or 6 as their second digit [25051, 16686, etc]. Forgot about light bulbs since I don't got some yet. Lionel Multi-Car Freight Sets + More MTH Halloween! Max Watts on one TIU is 720W. Frankly, its hard to go wrong with either of these transformers, especially at todays prices. This is interesting stuff. 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. Solid wire is preferable as it is much easier to solder to the rails. This would be more than enough for any single train and a few accessories. The multi-conductor wire is also available. http://www.lccuk.org.uk/lccuk Regards Nick Save Reply Quote N Nick12DMC Registered I'm sure I'll need more help along the way, so I'll be checking back in with more silly questions! Some systems will use bluetooth technology enabling you to control the trains with your tablet or cell phone. If you make a complete loop of 100 feet with good track joints, you'll have something like .1 ohm from the transformer to the farthest point, using the rule of thumb that most track is something like 16 AWG wire (.004 ohms per foot) and that there are two 50 foot tracks feeding the farthest point from two directions. Anyway if it takes me 100 years to finish this thing one thing is for sure I will not have to worry about powering anything and everything. I went to mth Z1000, jason's train shop has the best price's I have seen for these. Do not connect this product to any other power supply. 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). 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. 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. This will spread the load of your lighted passenger consist across the two transformers. Dave: That certainly qualifies, don't forget the anti-gun lobbyist with the picket sign's. Early issues used a Bakelite case while later releases had a case made out of plastic. Classic Toy Trains magazine offers information about toy trains operating and collecting, toy train product news and reviews, toy train layout tips, toy train layout designs and track plans, and more. Here at Trainz, we carry all of the products you will need to go from a starter set to a miniature railroad empire. It does run on conventional power but not great and no whistle or bell. In the middle range, Lionel made a lot of other transformers. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. 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. The transformer included with your starter set should be adequate to handle a modest expansion of your train set discussed above. Lots of good information for building any size O Gauge layout. While most of the American Flyer products are re-issues using old Gilbert tooling from the 1950s, the O scale equipment is a combination of new designs and reissues. And again regardless of scale or manufacturer, switch machines of these two types will have similar needs and performance. I talk more in depth about the 1033 here. A model railroad train set designed for use in the United States will have a 115V AC 60Hz power requirement. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. You can also run Lionel TMCC/Legacy Command Engines using the MTH DCS system with the addition of a Lionel command base and an additional cable. But Lionel now produces four Track Expansion Sets, which expand this basic loop into something more exciting. 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. Three conductor wire is common for household use. Actually the choice of transformer is secondary to the choice of control systems since you can operate O gauge trains with most any good modern transformer. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Thanks! Another classic is the Automatic Gateman. For a transformer less or equal to 500 kilovolt-amperes, a typical %Z impedance may vary between 2.3% and 5.2% based on the voltage level. Interested in southest Pennsylvania railroads; 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. White and black are common selections. I am currently running about 40 bulbs, which at 0.1 A each total 4 amps! Most power supplies will perform very well for years if used within their limits. Never Enough Room, Time or Money for all the Trains! If you fried a wire going to the track it may not be a transformer problem. --I need a station for the train to stop at. Thanks in advance for any information, Mike. Because the runs are short and power demands so low, this fine wire poses no safety threat. 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. Daniel Defense firearms, parts and accessories, http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=9670, http://www.modeltrainforum.com/album.php?u=2334, 14X16 Switching style [url]http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=8241, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkMHvbckuBLo3pJN1FGE1Gg. That it not to say that there are not engineering formulae to calculate the current draw and thus the wattage, but far and away the easiest method is to measure it. 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. To build on the point you are running MTH trains and therefore will probably go DCS eventually: I would break the track into blocks of about 5 feet in length. Lest I offend, in another plane of existence I was an electronics tech. I have a basement that offers an 18" concrete ledge that goes around theentire perimeter of the house that lends itself perfectly to a neat layout. These systems still require a power supply but it only needs to supply a constant voltage to the rails. Past,presentand future. The locomotives are battery-powered and made of durable plastic. I don't want to buy a lot more track, but then find out the transformer is too weak, if that make sense. I'm not sure I completely understand your question. My current layout uses about 28 sections of track (Lionel o-27). This means that you will have about.5 volt drop if your train draws 5 amperes. Ryan Kunkle is a nationally recognized professional model train expert and writer with over 25 years of experience. A bigger transformer is better and always looks nicer too! There have been issues with chopped waveform transformers, i.e. Adding lights to buildings, streets, and other scenic accessories usually do not require anywhere near the amperage demand of the trains themselves. Classic Toy Trains 5-Year Collection 2015-2019 DVD-ROM. At auction, Lionel train sets, pieces, and accessories can sell for a few hundred dollars or for a few thousand dollars, depending on the rarity and condition of the piece. $2799. I can remember a time when a Lionel ZW would set you back $275. The customer will still need a step down transformer to get the 220V to 110V. The preferred choice for wiring control panels is telephone or telecommunications wire. It is much easier to be ready ahead of time then to have to do some changes afterwards. LGB throttles 51070, 52120 and 52121 will all work with the 50061 and other LGB transformers. A small set that came with track, transformer, etc. It does not work with O27. Its a good transformer. However, if you begin to add lighted cars, or more than a couple accessories, you may find that your train will not run as fast, or that it will shut off entirely. We feature Lionel, American Flyer, MTH, Atlas O, Williams Trains, K-Line, Weaver Models, and more. 10 Easy Ways to Improve a Christmas Train Display, Wiring a Model Railroad for Block Operation, How to Build and Wire Reverse Loops for Model Trains, How to Choose the Right Transformer for Your Model Trains, Compatibility of Different Model Train Brands, HO Scale Track Plans for Model Train Layouts, buildings, streets, and other scenic accessories. Sell Your Trains Through an Online Auction Service. They have everything you need for a basic setup, and the larger ones are capable of running the smaller layouts you see in the train magazines, so they have some room for growth. I am assuming that your starter set came with either o27, brown ties, or 031, black ties, track and it runs well as is. Ive written more about the Lionel ZW here. Transformer capacity is rated in KVA (kilo-volt-amperes). If you have a very long run, you may want to consider Number 12 wire. If youre buying a transformer, youll be able to easily find one that a professional refurbished and upgraded with the links I provide below. Enter your e-mail address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by e-mail. The first is the traditional or classic size, which are the cars that match starter sets. The load voltage and load amps must be known to calculate KVA rating. What does a Lionel transformer do? 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. As the kit grows and you start putting in turnouts (or the point switching systems) to move your train from one track to another track, you will not only need more than 1 transformer, you will. You may never use all the amps, but it's usually cheaper to grow into a power supply than to continually upgrade. A. For Lionel power the 45 watts is good for a 4 by 8 as a rule of thumb to compensate poor track you just use more feeders. The farther from the transformer the more resistance in the rails and your engine will slow down. This will solve the slowdown problem. Service/Tested $55.00 1 bid $14.06 shipping 1d 6h LIONEL TYPE (KW) TRAINMASTER TRANSFORMER FOR PARTS OR RESTORATION $17.05 4 bids $19.95 shipping 9h 23m 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. electronically controlled outputs. Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership. the amount of track is not what is important here. The old transformer is not really the problem, the problem is the supply wire, particularly under heavyload (or derailment without the benefit of a quicker breaker). The whistle requires more power than the outfits that don't have it. God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of theNRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Tales From Harmon Shops, WTB: LIONEL AUTRORACKS SPECIFICALLY SOUTHERN,GRAND TRUNK,BNSF,FERROMEX. I paid $75 + shipping for mine a year ago. If youre comfortable doing some work yourself, you can buy a fixer-upper, and my informational links will tell you more about fixing one yourself. 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. There are many advantages in repairing or reconditioning your transformers. Its expensive, but the same factors that drove KW prices down are also driving ZW prices down. Will get a Z4000 one day [this summer probably, unless I find a good deal on an older ZW] just to say I have one. As you progress with your layout there are a lot of people here who will help you with any questions you have. 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. Our community is FREE to join. If you plan to just run MTH go with their DCS system if you plan to have a number of different engines or the MTH DCS Remote Commander which is limited to running only one engine at a time. I have since wired the new transformer to my layout along with the old ZW. Buyers truly want all-original trains that have never been tampered with. That could also be the reason the other transformers don't work. QUOTE: by Skyray "Typical engineer--you need a technician. Adding more freight or passenger cars [also known as rolling stock] to your set is another way to quickly expand your railroad. DCC decoders are one good example where the wire colors are critical.
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