rules of thumb?

[buildinginspector]

how many feet of track will one amp power?

[gbbari]

I know of no rule of thumb in large scale for that metric. There are way too many variables involved before track length becomes a consideration.

Biggest/most important - what engine(s) are running on that track - you need to know the maximum current draw of the motor(s). Also if using lighted passenger cars - how many cars and how much current is required per car?

As far as track - what kind of track - brass, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel-silver (slightly different conductivity for each type but should never really be enough to matter if track sections are well-connected and kept clean on the running surface). That leads to the next consideration - what kind of track connectors are installed? railclamps? stock slide-on connectors (such as LGB)? Aristo-craft slide-on with screws? Are you using graphite paste at each connection to aid conductivity?

A single small LGB "Stainz" engine will run fine with a starter set power pack (about 1 A) on ~300 ft. of track. I know - I did that in my backyard using LGB brass track, stock slide-on connectors with LGB graphite paste. On the other hand, that same power pack would not power the LGB F7 A-B-A diesel set on only 20 feet of brass track because there are too many motors requiring more than 1A total current. So length of track had/has nothing to do with the problem.

Hope this helps.

Al

[vsmith]

I ran my AC Price geared locomotive powered by 4 Aristo blocks around my 10'x20' layout with an LGB 1 Amp pack just fine if that helps

[Marty Cozad]

Spend more than you can.

Dream larger than you have room for.

Buy more than you need.

Plan to never give up.

[ttrigg]

Marty Cozad

Spend more than you can.

Dream larger than you have room for.

Buy more than you need.

Plan to never give up.

I must agree with Marty!  Over power the power supply. Oversize the curves. Buy entirely too much track. Buy twice the number of turnouts you figure you will need. Then when that one engine comes along that you just cannot live without, you have already done all the "upgrading" needed to accomidate.  The best part of it is that you finished your "upgrading" before another large increase in the prices hit!

[Greg Elmassian]

 I think you got the literal answer to your question.

 I wonder why you are asking it. Different locos draw different amounts of current. All but the smallest locos will not run well on 1 amp of power.

You might want to tell us what you are planning, maybe we could help more.

 Regards, Greg