I thought the breaker on the power unit was enough for a small DCC layout. So are they just talking about larger layouts or do some use them on smaller too?
How small is small? I built my original layout as a 5x12 foot table, with a lower level just a couple of inches down for a small subway loop. I probably had too much track in the upper level, but I was OK with it. All of this ran fine with just my 5 amp DCC system. I had one autoreverser, which does count as a circuit breaker.
When I expanded the layout, I ended up with another autoreverser and I bought 4 PSX breakers as well. I felt that the additional sections needed more protection, and I'm glad for the isolation.
But, I realized too late that I should have isolated the subway loop from the start. I really wasn't thinking about breakers at the time, and ended up with one large shared track bus, so isolation after the fact would have been difficult.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I don't use any breakers on mine ... HO scale, 3-5 trains at one time, 2 with sound ... about 15 by 16 feet, most with 2.5 % incline / decline ... oh, and the DCC supplying it is at 3.5 amp ...
It is set up in eight sections though, but all are powered at the same time [forgot to cut isolation in the track,lol]
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I got 4 from somewhere and was going to e-bay them, maybe will keep now.
You have a PowerCab, right? Just make sure they can be set low enough to work with it. Circuit breakers that can't be set to a trip point below 3 amps won't work with a Powercab, the PowerCab itself will always trip first. The new version of the EB-1 can be set low enough to work. Since you will not likely have many trains running with the Powercab, a single breaker is probably fine. What you can do is gap both rails in logical places but wire right past them - that way ig you later upgrade to say add the SB5 and want to break the klayout up into multiple power districts, the gaps are already in place and you can easily cut the track bus up into the individual districts.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
No a Digitrax. Glad I lucked onto it for DCC as I like the traditional knob on some of their throttles, just a preferance. Can't find the circit breakers right now, somwhere in boxs of stuff to be sold off by a freind on e-bay.