i need help very bad...
i bought a mth power house t 4000 and now i need to know on how i do a bus line for it. my layout is 10x22 and is there a diagram or something to help me do the bus line and im going to run my t1-4444 duplex when it comes back from lionel. but in till then how can i do the bus line thanks chad from pittsburgh pa.
"t 4000"? If you mean "Z-4000", that transformer seems to be able to put out a little more than 20 amperes total. I think 12 AWG wire is probably safe for the common, but you might want to go to 10 AWG just to be sure.
Bob Nelson
it is z4000 im sorry i was tired from work and can you tell me how to do the bus line or is there a diagram to learn. cause the t1 duplex is a expence had to get it repaired cause it ran and blew out 2 of my cw 80 transformers, what gauge can i void and what gauge can i use to do the 10x22 layout. im using lionel fastrak for the whole thing with elevations and 2 helix on both sides its a big project for a person like me and i got my son helping me except he wants to bring multi levels involved. please let me know thanks chad from pittsburgh pa.
How much current the trains draw and how many or how large the transformers you need to supply it don't depend on the size of the layout, but only on how many trains and accessories and how much each of them draws.
The wires are another matter. They need to be big enough to carry all the current that the transformer can put out. Otherwise the wiring could burn up if you ever draw that much current, whether deliberately or by accident. All that current will be flowing through your common wiring, so that is why I recommend you use 12 AWG for that, if not 10 AWG. (The common terminals are the black ones on your transformer.) I estimate that the two variable outputs could provide almost 10 amperes each; so 16 AWG is big enough for them. The accessory outputs can put out 3 amperes each; so you can get away with 22 AWG there.
Those are the minimum numbers for safety. But you also need to consider voltage drop. A long wire heavy enough to be safe may not deliver enough voltage to the trains. I suggest that you use no smaller than 14 AWG to feed the track, even though 16 AWG is safe.
My preference is to build the layout first, with minimum connections between the transformer and track. Then see whether the trains are slowing down when they get far from the transformer. If so, add more feeders to farther-away points where the trains slow down. It's okay to run these directly from the transformer ("home run" wiring). But it works just as well to run along the track from one point to the next and uses much less wire.
Stranded and solid wire work just the same electrically. Use whichever you prefer to work with. Most folks think stranded is easier. You can buy stranded or solid "building" wire in a variety of colors by the foot at most home-improvement stores. I suggest making a short "pigtail" of wires connected to the track. Poke them through holes in the table as you install the track. Then connect them under the table to your feeder wires using wire nuts. This way, you can later remove the track easily if you need to make repairs or changes.
I am running an MTH T-1 RDG steam engine on a Z-1000 by MTH. So far no problems with the T-1 and it has been over two years. Unless the Lionel T-1 duplex uses more wattage in the motors, I don't see why a 400 watt transformer is needed.
Lee F.
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