Being a beginner, I am contemplating building a ceiling suspended train bed (not a train board) in my "man-cave" garage for a new O Gauge Lionel train set. This set comes with a 54 watt 10" straight track wall-plug power supply and a remote control. My question is this:
My layout with Fastrack on this suspended board will be a simple oval about 4' wide and 13' long with a total length of track of 30'. Will the 54 watt 10" straight track wall-plug power supply be enough to power the train with 4 cars all around the track at an even speed, or will I need more power? If this is not enough, can I simply add on another 10" straight track wall-plug power supply opposite the other? In other words, have a power supply for every 15' of track! Would this burn out my locomotive motor?
Thanks so much for your help,
Lar.
The power supply that came with the set has enough power for the train, what you are really concerned about is transmitting that power over a longer distance. If you connect the power to the track in only one spot it will drop off over distance and the train will slow down or stop at the farthest end from the power.
Larger layouts should have power feeds or taps a regular intervals. In your case you need to run some aditional feed wires to that farthest point. Fastrack has connectors under each piece so you can crimp onto wires and make your own feed wires.
Here is an excellent video by Lionel that shows what I mean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JKA0GD_564
For wire in your case I would reccomend 18 guage bi-color speaker wire. It looks nice and will cary sufficient power with minimal loss over distance.
Good luck.
The train itself will determine how much power and current it draws, up to the maximum that the power supply (or supplies) can provide. No matter how many of these you connect to the track, the track voltage will never be more than 18 volts, so the locomotive is in no danger.
The problem of voltage drop along the track is one of resistance, not power. If the track is long enough that its resistance causes a voltage drop between the power supply and the train, a remedy more straightforward and cheaper than adding more power supplies is to lower the resistance by providing a low-resistance feeder between the supply and the farther parts of the track. A 15-foot circuit of 14 AWG will have a voltage drop of only .225 volt at the maximum 3 amperes that your power supply can put out.
Bob Nelson
BigAl956,
Thanks so much for your very helpful reply and video. Now I get it! However, it's not like I have a transformer with two posts to connect a power supply loop and feeders to on this particular new train set. It comes with a wall-plug power unit in lieu of a transformer with a DC barrel male plug that plugs into a 10" Fastrack with female receptacle. Should I simply purchase a DC power adapter splitter (which has one female end and two male ends) plug the one male end into the track it is closest to, then cut off the other male plug and solder on my 18 GA supply loop? Also, do you know if on these new sets, the remote control is wireless? Seems it should be, but I saw a photo of the entire set and it had two 10" straight Fastracks with female receptacles, one being for power but the other I don't know . . . perhaps it is for a wire to the remote? Thanks again for your help!
Bob,
Thanks so much for your very helpful reply. Now I get it! However, it's not like I have a transformer with two posts to connect a power supply loop and feeders to on this particular new train set. It comes with a wall-plug power unit in lieu of a transformer with a DC barrel male plug that plugs into a 10" Fastrack with female receptacle. Should I simply purchase a DC power adapter splitter (which has one female end and two male ends) plug the one male end into the track it is closest to, then cut off the other male plug and solder on my 14 or 16 GA supply loop? Also, do you know if on these new sets, the remote control is wireless? Seems it should be, but I saw a photo of the entire set and it had two 10" straight Fastracks with female receptacles, one being for power but the other I don't know . . . perhaps it is for a wire to the remote or perhaps an added accessory? Thanks again for your help!
Do you think for just 30' of track in an oval that I will need a supply loop with feeders? And if so, how often? The Lionel video stated every 10 or 12 feet, but other videos have stated every 3 or 4 tracks?
aboard!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Lar.However, it's not like I have a transformer with two posts to connect a power supply loop and feeders to on this particular new train set. It comes with a wall-plug power unit in lieu of a transformer with a DC barrel male plug that plugs into a 10" Fastrack with female receptacle.
As you plan your layout you may want to pick up either a traditional Lionel transformer or newer one so you can have different power feeds for accessories and other circuits.
Hi Lar, The power supply that came with your set was intended to get you started but not intended to be used to power a large layout. You should considder upgrading to a larger power supply. You can strat here with the Lionel Power & Track catalog. http://www.lionel.com/categories/track-and-power
When you create your power bus you have only one conection to the transformer and you are running a larger wire accross your layout. The larger guage wire has less voltage drob so you are in essanse extending the transformer power connection many feet. Imagine a highway with several on off ramps. Here is another video I found that shows how you will wire this including a video I made a couple years ago that shows how to use Tap Splices.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMa7_raOC5E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3WYD7teKIA&t=11s
Lar.Also, do you know if on these new sets, the remote control is wireless?
New Lionel starter sets are indeed wireless. Lionel calls the system of remote control LionChief and LionChief +. These sets and engines come with a wireless remote. The newest sets come equipped for Bluetooth control from your phone.
http://www.lionel.com/brands/lionchief-plus
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