Layout track wiring power management

[BigAl 956]

Looking at your layout I'm not sure how you you can opperate 3 trains at once as I only spot 2 seperate loops that don't interfere with each other. There are a couple tips and tricks to running multiple trains. Each train needs it's own seperate loop and you need to provide parking sidings where a train can rest out of the way so another train can share the same loop. Parking sidings do not need their own powermaster, they only need an on-off switch so you can pull a train over and shut it off. Then you can turn on another siding and run a differnt train on the loop. I see that in a few places on your plan.

[James Huff]

[James Huff]

BigAl 956

This is a load balancing calculation and your going about it the right way.

Here is what I did on my layout powered by 3 ZWs. I limited each ZW to 2 trains. I divided my accessory load to continuous duty and light duty and paired with the transformer that had a complimentary losd. Lighting was a heavy continuous duty draw so I paired that to a ZW powering low power locomotives. 

O22 switches are a large draw if you have a lot of them. I had 20 on my layout and the transformermer was boiling hot. Converting them to LEDs on the controllers and the lantern lights helped a lot.

 

Thanks for responding to my question so with me eliminating the original 022 switch boxes and using 2 sc2 units to control and program routes with the cab1 remote. This leads me to my next few questions. You said the trick is to divide the power load between the transformers. The layout I’m planning to build I was originally thinking of 3 block sections each with a powermaster one for the upper level one of the lower level and one for the sidings at the front of the layout. I want to run at least 3 conventional trains at the same time with the cab1 remote do you think I need to divide the layout into more block sections or is three good? Also will the fiber pins from the switches on the outside rails affect the control of tmcc or the powermasters?

I’m going to add a picture of the layout plan shortly

[BigAl 956]

This is a load balancing calculation and your going about it the right way.

Here is what I did on my layout powered by 3 ZWs. I limited each ZW to 2 trains. I divided my accessory load to continuous duty and light duty and paired with the transformer that had a complimentary load. Lighting was a heavy continuous duty draw so I paired that to a ZW powering low power locomotives. 

O22 switches are a large draw if you have a lot of them. I had 20 on my layout and the transformermer was boiling hot. Converting them to LEDs on the controllers and the lantern lights helped a lot.

[James Huff]

I want some suggestions how to efficently distribute power with my 275w zw 190w kw 125w lw and smaller 2 post transformers. I already decided that the zw would power one block and the 2nd block be powered by the kw. The problem arises when I add the 12 022 turnouts without the 022c controllers and 4 remote control track sections with an operating track controller my layout plan requires and figuring how to power the turnouts when controlling them and my 362 barrel loader, icing station, 164 log shed, and 497 coaling station to three sc2 controllers and the 4 remote control track sections to the operating track controller for tmcc and legacy control. If I did my math correctly, the combined usable wattage between the zw kw and lw Is 396 watts and the wattage being taken up for 3 Postwar trains running at the same time with either whistle or horn with magntraction plus the 12 022 turnouts without 022c controllers is 226 watts if I read greenbergs operating and repair guide for postwar lionel trains 1945 -1969 correctly And excluding the wattage from my postwar and prewar lionel streetlamps.