I am trying to figure out which transformer to use for my layout . I Lionel and MTH trains. Idealy I would like one transformer to power the whole layout , would a MTH Z1000 be sufficieny, the layout will be medium in size 12 ft by 8 ft, 6 or so trains, no more than two running at one time. Can the z1000 easily be setup to fastrack? Can it control all my trains ?
the one I am looking at has a Railking controller, will this be suffocient.
if not, please give some recommendations. I am new to this and the trains I have , have been gifted to me. Sone are very old, late 50’s.
reading everything ^I can, but it is confusing at times.
last question, I have read about multiple transformers on one layout, how does this work?
The layout size is not important for selecting a transformer, but you need to feed the layout with heavy enough wire and at points close enough together to keep the voltage at the track close to the voltage at the transformer.
The traditional way to run multiple trains is to divide the track into blocks, by putting gaps or insulating pins in the center rail. Then wire the center rail of each block to the common terminal of a single-pole-single-throw-center-off electrical switch. This switch can connect the block's center rail to either of two variable voltages from two transformers or the two variable outputs of a transformer designed to run two trains, or to shut the block off completely in the center position. Connect the outside rails and the transformer common terminal(s) all together.
The wire should be heavy enough to prevent the voltage drop I described above and also heavy enough to carry the maximum current that the transformers can put put. This is probably no more than 15 amperes, for which you need at least 14 AWG wire. That is also amply heavy to prevent voltage drop for the modest layout sizes you are considering, and it is easy to find at home-improvement stores, solid or stranded, and in various colors.
Make enough blocks that you don't need to run a train between two blocks powered from different transformer sources. This can be particularly dangerous with multiple-output postwar transformers.
Bob Nelson
I am using fastrack, does this mean multiple terminal sections wired to the same transformer? Will a MTH z1000 do the trick. By usining block track sections can I still wire back to the same transformer?
Yes, to the extent that you need multiple feeders to mitigate the voltage drop for any track block, those feeders will be connected to the same transformer. However, it is more efficient and equally effective to use a single feeder wire, which would run from the transformer to the closest track connection, then from there to the next closer track connection, and so on.
Whether you choose to have a "home run" from each track connection or to chain the track connections, you will need one of whichever kind of feeder bus for the center rail of each individual track block, but one feeder bus can handle the outside rails, which are all connected together and to the transformer's common terminals.
I use only postwar transformers, but maybe others can comment about the MTH transformer.
I have three MTH Z-1000 transformers I use on the layout, and they're excellent.
All my trains work well with them, both the current production and the post-war.
And the Z-1000's will work just fine with Fastrack. Track doesn't care where the juice comes from, just as long as it's there.
This sounds great. Sorry for all the silly questions guys I am really new to this. I still have a bit of confusion about daisychaining all the terminals together. Do I need to have a block truck in between.
I don't understand "block truck", but I think the answer might be that the center rail should be continuously connected throughout each block. The only gaps that you need (for this purpose) are in the center rail at the boundaries between blocks.
The wire goes from the transformer terminal to the track center-rail terminal closest to the transformer. That wire and the next segment of the daisy chain both connect to the same, center-rail terminal. Then that second wire goes on to the next center-rail terminal of the same block, and so on from terminal to terminal to the end of the block.
The difference in the wiring for the outside rails is that one daisy chain can go to all the outside-rail terminals. And in fact it's good to use the outside-rail wiring to connect the outside rails of different blocks together, to reduce the resistance in that side of the track circuits.
Although I suggest using something like 14 AWG wire, it can be hard to connect to the track. It's okay to use a piece of smaller wire, spliced to the heavier bus wire, if it's only a few inches long. Any heat that would burn out a small wire will be conducted away into the heavy bus wire and the rail. And it will be far too short to be any problem with voltage drop. I like to use wire nuts to connect the wires under the layout.
I meant to say track not truck. This is starting to make a bit more sense to me, Fastrack has terminal sections that are pre wired to the rails. My big question is at what distance should I put new terminal sections?
Those who have experience with Fastrack will probably have suggestions, but the only way to know for sure, for your trains and track layout, is by experiment. If you can assemble your track before fastening it down, you can start with a single terminal per block and then add more wherever you notice the trains slowing down.
It's easy to add a feeder tap to traditional sectional track--just drill a hole through the table next to the rail, push a wire through, and solder it to the rail. Maybe someone knows a similar trick for Fastrack.
You've got several options with Fast Track. If not assembled and screwed down, or if it is and you don't mind removing, you can solder right to the folded over tab of the center rail that protrudes through the plastic road bed. Or you can buy a female spade connector (smaller than your standard ones found at Home Depot) and attach to the male spade terminals every piece of fast-track has on the underside.
Or along the lines of what loinelsoni said, you can drill straight down through the road bed next to your center rail and push a feeder up and solder to your center rail.
The connectors built into the Fastrack section and the mating male connector on the zip-cord are .110-inch Faston (or quick-disconnect) types. The connector on the far end of the zip-cord is a spade lug to fit around an 8-32 screw. The zip-cord wire looks too small for all but the lowest-current transformers, although a few inches of it would be okay for a tap.
I know this must be getting repetitive, I just want to make sure I have a complete understanding of the wiring. If I wire multiple terminals sections together, do I need to have something in between that blocks electricity. Or can it be continuous current from one terminal section to another.
The (daisy-chained) feeder bus is merely supplementing the continuous connection from one section's center rail to the next section's center rail along the block. The bus's conductance adds to the conductance of the rail to make any voltage drop less than if the current had only the rail to flow through. Because the current will flow partly through the bus wire and partly through the rail, it will develop a smaller voltage drop than if it had to flow through only one or the other.
The voltage drop in an imperfect conductor, like a rail is
V = I / Grail
where V is the voltage drop, I is the current, and Grail is the rail's conductance. When you connect two conductances in parallel, like a track rail and a copper bus wire, the conductances add, so
V = I / (Grail + Gwire)
You can see that this makes the voltage drop less than if the circuit comprised either Grail or Gwire alone.
So no gaps in the rails between terminals within the same block.
Thank you so much. I think I finally get it. I will keep you guys updated on how my layout looks, but once again thank you so much.
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