Subject:
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Re: How do I power a long track?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Mon, 27 Dec 2004 17:20:17 GMT
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Viewed:
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1643 times
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In lugnet.trains, Mark Assi wrote:
> I have a train track that runs around the perimeter of my son’s bedroom on a
> platform that extends out from the wall. The problem is that the train seems to
> really slow down around the opposite end of the track from where the power is
> connected. What do you guys do to keep a train running smoothly on those large
> layouts I’ve seen you put up at shows?
>
> I’d appreciate any advice you could give.
> Thanks,
> Mark
What sort of trains are you running? The advice depends on this as it specifies
the power requirement.
My layout has a circuit of 106 pieces of track and I use parallel-connected feed
wires, one at each end, so that the through-sidings on each side are not
affected. I cut some small 9V leads in half and put 12V plugs on them, so that
I can use the long 12V leads to reach the length of the layout. You could use
'chocolate bloc' barrier strips instead, with loudspeaker cable (1 Amp rating)
for the long runs.
My trains are 8mm:1ft scale, so I need up to 1 Amp of current, rather than the
300mA from a standard controller, so I use a big power supply instead. If your
trains ever use more than two motors each, you will need a higher current power
supply.
I found this when I tried to run one of my big steam engines (with 2 train
motors and 2 technic motors) from a standard controller, in a siding about 1
metre away from the feed wire. It wouldn't move, even at full throttle!
If you're using multiple feed wires it's also good to put them in the middle of
a straight or at the end of a curve in the usual direction of travel, so that
the engine gets the best pickup (least voltage drop) when it needs to accelerate
out of a curve.
Mark
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: How do I power a long track?
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| (...) Thanks for the info, Mark. The train I am running is one of the Large Locomotives (Item#: KT105). I have 5 passenger cars (Item#: 10015), and 1 caboose (Item#: 10014). Total of 1 motor. I was thinking that maybe I had too many cars on it, but (...) (20 years ago, 27-Dec-04, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | How do I power a long track?
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| Hello everybody, I have a train track that runs around the perimeter of my son’s bedroom on a platform that extends out from the wall. The problem is that the train seems to really slow down around the opposite end of the track from where the power (...) (20 years ago, 25-Dec-04, to lugnet.trains)
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