Poss 2 power supplies or Booster ?

[DRG11]

Hi All,

I hope to be running 2 tracks approx 130 foot each using LGB MTS system, the question is as there will be up to 4 trains running im not sure if there would be enough power ?, so can I place a LGB power supply at each end or would a booster be better ? that's if I need one ?,

I was also looking at taking wires from end to end to help with the power drop off,

And looking at splitting into 2 using the booster, any better ?

Of course any other ideas would be welcome

Many thanks to all for any help

 

[Zerogee]

A number of variables to consider......
Are the trains going to be a mix of one- and two-motored locos, and are they all going to be LGB or a mix of makes?
Will you be making much use of lighting (especially numbers of coaches lit from track power), sound and/or smoke?
Are you looking at generally short or long trains?
Is the line mostly level or do you have any significant gradients (or worse, gradients on bends!)?

All of these will potentially (NPI) make a good deal of difference to the total amps you'll need.....

Re multiple wire feeds to the track, I think these can help with overall continuity and avoiding dead spots, but I don't believe they make a lot of difference to any voltage drop-off - after all, if your track continuity is good, then code 332 brass track should be a much better conductor (ie: less potential voltage drop) than the actual feed wires which are most likely a tiny fraction of the rail's cross-sectional area!

Jon.

 

[DRG11]

Hi Jon,

Lots of questions ?, well here goes ..

The trains will be a mix of 1 and 2 motored Locos with makes of LGB, Bachmann and Aristocraft
As to Lighting it will poss be loco lights only, also sound when I have it (3 at this time),
Train length is a 4 bogie coaches or about 6 freight wagons (loops are 10 foot long for passing trains)
Lines will be nearly level all the way with the exception of an incline between the 2 lines (approx. 1 foot in difference in height)

The track is mainly Aristocraftwith some LGB/Piko (all brass rail),

Many thanks for the reply

 

[ntpntpntp]

Definitely DO NOT simply attempt to hook up a power supply at either end of the same circuit, that's not going to work, and in some situations can be dangerous (there are warnings about this in LGB/Marklin manuals re power feeding back through the disconnected mains plug of a 2nd unit that's still wired to the track)

If you are going to exceed the capabilities of the MTS main unit (depends on the number of trains/lights/accessories in use) then you would need to split the line into separate power districts each with its own DCC booster.

 

[Zerogee]

Grrrr, just spent ten minutes typing a long reply to this, then hit the wrong thing and lost it all before I could post it....

So, here goes again.....

OK, reason for the long list of question was that I thought I might as well ask all the relevant ones I could think of, so that others could them help interpret the answers....
An LGB loco is good condition will typically draw around 0.5 amps PER MOTOR under light to moderate loads; smoke, sound, gradients and heavier trains will all increase this of course. Some other makes are known to be more amp-hungry - I don't have much personal experience of Bachmann and Aristo, others will have to help out here (sounds like you're running US themed stuff?).

I'd think that if you're running maybe two or three trains at the same time, then the MTS's 5 amps should be OK for the time being..... add a fourth train, and maybe have one climbing the gradient between lines, and you might find yourself pushing the capacity. In that case I'd think the proper MTS booster would be the way to go - I don't THINK you can simply use another ordinary power supply?

Best,

Jon.

Edit: while I was typing again, nice to get Nick's confirmation about the no-no of multiple power supplies - I was fairly sure that was the case.....
So I guess the best thing would be a separate booster for one of the lines, and split the power at the connecting gradient?

 

[DRG11]

HI gents,

Many thanks for the replies they are great, definitely not adding another power supply so I will most likely split into 2 sections as I have a booster already

At least I do not need to look for another power supply, (Im using LGB MTS System)

Thankyou all again for being so quick and helpful

steve