POWERIN RAILROAD

[Anonymous]

HELLO
my name is Larry and I have a large N scale layout and i would like to know if you can power the whole layout with one power pack or do you need a couple three or so? also i need help on placment of feeders how far apart they should be and gauge of wire etc. anybody out there who can HELP me I would be deeply gratful for any help ya can send my way
THX
LARRY

[Anonymous]

Hello Larry,

It depends on the power pack, how large your "large" layout is, and how many locomotives you're operating. Please note: You can't gang power packs together in series like batteries to create more juice. All sorts of interesting problems would happen, none of which come under the heading of "Model Railroading is Fun."

A power pack rated at 2 to 4 amps can accommodate a medium-sized layout, depending on the number of locomotives you'd typically operate at a time. How to determine the current rating? Check the back of the power pack for a figure that ends with "VA". Divide this figure by 12 and you'll have the current. "VA" is the abbreviation for voltamps -- volts times amps. If the VA rating is 24, divide this by 12 to get 2.0, which tells you that under load the pack will deliver 2.0 amps at 12 volts, which is the nominal voltage used in model railroading.

Two amps will handle the current demands of four to typical HO scale locomotives and up to six N scale locomotives, with some current to spare. But remember that one power pack provides control for only train. (You can operate two trains on one throttle, but it's not very realistic.)

That's where either DC cab control or Digital Command Control (DCC) come in. These are two different means for operating more than one train at a time. They're too complex to explain here. I recommend getting Easy Model Railroad Wiring (Kalmbach), which you can order online at http://store.yahoo.com/kalmbachcatalog/12207.html.

You can also learn more online. See "Back to the basics: cab control," and "Cab control for your layout," and "DCC: What it is and what it does".

I use 14-gauge wire for a bus line and 22-gauge wire for feeders. I'm using DCC, so I solder feeders to the rail every six feet or so. With DC cab control you typically solder one set of feeders to the rails of each block (or more if the block happens to be long to reduce voltage drop). You'll want to use terminal/barrier strips between the feeders and the bus wires to make troubleshooting easier and the wiring neater.

Hope this helps,

Paul Schmidt
Contributing Editor
Trains.com