A Locomotive's Power

[SchemerBob]

I will probably get some large locomotives sometime, perhaps engines like the MTH AC4400CW (coming out later this year). My Lionel 80-watt transformer's light sometimes flashes when I run my small RailKing Genesis with 6 passenger cars behind it. So I was wondering, do the larger locomotives, because they are bigger, suck up more power, or is it just because the smaller engines can't handle the weight?

[pbjwilson]

Yep, you're using alot of juice there. The engine has two motors. Six lighted cars, probably two bulbs per car. Its going to take a bigger transformer to run such a train. I was using a MTH 75 watt trans. and it couldnt handle a similiar train as to what you are running. Now I'm using a K-Line trans. that is 100 watts and I have no problem.

The thing to remember is the modern engines have two can motors and a sound system. The engine, a number of lighted cars, take alot of power to run.

[Anonymous]

Cruise control and sound systems eat more power than a stripped down unit. The lighted passenger cars also throw an additional electrical load and have higher resisance to rolling than do non illuminated cars. You are pushing th 80 watt unit to the edge.

[SchemerBob]

Would I need any extra power (besides my current 80-watt) to run one of the new AC4400CW engines with 10 or 15 freight cars?

[ben10ben]

I usually figure on about one amp per can motor or two amps per open-frame motor.

Since your AC4400CW probably has two can motors, 80 watts should be plenty. If you're going to be pulling freight cars made in the last thirty years or so with fast angle wheels and needlepoint bearings, ten or fifteen is pretty much an insignificant load since. Postwar cars are a different matter, as they have quite a bit of rolling resistance. Lights in passenger cars also suck up your power quickly.