lionel powerhouses

[thatboy37]

question about the lionel power houses. do they work well with the mth z4000's and will i need them to actually add that extra power to the track. i want to have six mainlines. one for my accella, polar express, c.n., c.p., n.s., and csx. and will i need to go and buy another mth z4000 to make a total of three. the reason i asked is i found a hobbyshop that had them on sale for $41.00 dollars i dont know the regular price of this particular item but i thought that was and is a great price. or will the 3 mth z4000's be enough power to run all six mainlines. want to know before i purchase the powerhouses.

[csxt30]

I believe you will be running in Lionels TMCC, correct ? I see the prices of the 180 watt powerhouses are around 65 to 69 dollars, so those are a great deal if they are the 180 watt ones. I would go with another Z4000 for that many mainlines & keeping everything in unison, but I'm not that knowledgeable & others should be be along to help. Will you have other power sources for your yards or for other tracks, they may want to know. Sorry I can't be of much help !
Thanks,

[thatboy37]

yes all tmcc except the polar express also is the model number to the 180 watt powrhouse #6-12866 if so then thats it and the web site name is whistle-stop.com if any are interested

[cheech]

6-12866 is the model number for the 135 watt PoHo. They usually go for 50-60 dollars each, plus shipping if you buy on the internet, so 41 for them would be a reasonable price, but not super terrific. The 180 watt model is 6-22983 and generally goes for 65-70 again plus shpping on the internet. Lionel changes the model number frequently for the same basic product, so google the model number and you will quickly see what it really is.

Sounds like your layout will use a LOT of power. You may want to take a
time-out and think thru the power plan and wiring for the layout, if you have not got one yet it would be a stellar idea to get that worked out before you go much further. There's a lot to think thru there in getting the power to the tracks at the far side of the layout, right?

You may want to read some previous posts about Power Bus, Power Districts and Isolated Blocks that DaleHz and Lioneloni and others have posted in previous threads.

Since your TMCC directional, i haven't seen anything written which indicates that how you plan power your blocks. Does the MTH Z's take care of that or will you need to consider Lionel's Block Power controllers? You also want to consider how you will operate the long list of accessories---SC-2's?

Ralph

[eZAK]

The Power Houses Will Not work with the Z-4000!

You will stil need something to control the PoHo's.
Such as a new era ZW.

Since it seems you already have (2) Z-4000's I would go with another one.

[csxt30]

No, the powerhouses won't work with the Z4000s, but they would work instead of another Z4000 for the other 2 mainlines. Would have to use 2 more powermasters also though. Be better to stay with 3 Zs I think, also.

[otftch]

The powerhouses will not work with the z-4000.If you are using tmcc, the rail that is to be powered by the powerhouse will need a tmcc lockon (little silver building).This limits you to only tmcc on that rail as the current is constant.
Ed