Need DCC guru (RANDY)

[claycts]

Please look at my treack plan (link below signature) How many power districts?
Max operators 3
Max engines running (5)
Lighted passenger cars at one time (8)
All turnouts and other than rolling stock will have it's own buss and power supplies.
I have (2) 5 amp boosters (digitax dcs 100 and db150)
Turnouts total (56) tortise machines (12) Atlas under table #66 (38) balance ground throw.
Will use computer interface to run the show.
I would order as many Power SHields as I need from Tony's. Already have (2) RRamp Meters on Order.
Thank you for your help in the past. Getting ready to make sawdust as soon as I get all this DCC stuff on order.
George P.

[rrinker]

Do you have a broken-down version of that track plan? My eyes are going buggy trying to find the reverse loops [:D] I see at least two, the green line in the top left and the turntable. Probably more. Each one of those should get a PS-Rev. Looks liek maybe you uses 3rd-PlanIt? I have that also.
Other good candidates for power districts I can see are the brown yard inthe bottom center, the blue yard in the middle, the yard in the upper left, and the engine terminal area (minus the turntable, which goes on the reverser). I'd consider breaking up the remaining main line area into 3 sections for each track, total 6 power districts there. It also appears there is a banch line - probably make that 2 power districts.
Wow, that's 3 PS-Fours and at least two PS-Revs. Seems like overkill for only 3 people running trains, and it probably is. But I also see plenty of roomt here for a lot more than 3 operators, which is the main reason i would keep those yards seperated fromt he main line - if the guy workignt he yard goes to ground and shorts out, no one's main lien train will be stopped. Likewise a hostler working the engine terminal.
You certainly have plenty of booster power for 5 locos, even if they are all sound units. I've been able to run 8 non-sound locos on my lil ol' Zephyr.

--Randy

[claycts]

Randy I will Post on the site 9to save bandwidth on this forum) The 3 mains plus the branch and then the yards only.
Thank You

[claycts]

Pictures posted, Thank you

[claycts]

Yes that is 3rd planet but the file is over 17 megs. I am making a DXF dor Autocadd ro work on the bench design and wiring diagrams.
Again thanks for your time.
Georeg P.

[rrinker]

OK I will take another look. You're right, a 17mb file would NOT be good for me to try to receive on my slow conenction.

--Randy

[claycts]

Thank you Randy, my guess and your input where 180 apart, I dbow to the GURU. my guess was twice as many parts as you came up with. I can now start making piles of sawdust knowing that Tony;s traind will have a GOOD holiday. Looks like I will be giving the Prodogy to the train club, 3 amps does me no good and it is only 32 address capable. Also heard that a person had a RUN AWAY when he programed with MRC and ran on Digitrax. Did NOT confirm the story but it is of interest to me. May use the MRC to run a KIDS loop at Christmas time.
Thanks again
George P.

[rrinker]

Well, I was leaning towards the overkill side when I started figuring out what I would need on my layout as well. But pretty soon it starts getting crazy. if you end up with operating isues, you can always go back and cut gaps and add more districts, but with the number of people running like you said, it's not too likely you'd be in each other's sections much at all. When it comes down to it, that's the main reason for doing this at all - so when the guy over in the back corner runs a switch and shorts out, the guy running the heavy train downgrade doesn't go ba***he throttle over his head because HIS train ALSO stopped suddenly and spread cars all over the hill.
Now if you REALLY want to have some fun, the Tony's Power Shields have an output to drive an external LED indicator. You could easily hook that to an optoisolator instead and drive a really loud and annoying siren... "oh look, Bob's derailed AGAIN!" [:D][:D][:D]

--Randy

[rrinker]

OH, if you have the MR article showing how to hook up the Powershields with a control panel and LEDs - for whatever reason the author of that story ran his actual track power through a toggle switch. That isn't necessary - there is a pair of contacts on the PS that allows a low-current control of track power - it's in the manual for the Powershield.

--Randy