Track power (length)

[DRG11]

Hi all,

I will have 2 loops of approx 150 feet each connected via a smaller loop on side, they will be split as I have a booster,
mostly Aristocraft track using the screws provided,

The top loop is approx 18 inches higher and has 2 gates through it so needs bridges to copensate for this,
The bottom loop is continous with no breaks, (poss may have a branch off to a station with sidings)

Q1 .. will the LGB MTS be enough to power the track due to its length ( booster for 2nd section)

Q2 .. where would you split the tracks up ? (does it matter ?),

ie .. split where the gates are in creating 2 seperate sides with the plastic joiners by the bridges/gates, also on the bottom level I would need to put plastic joiners for the split,(around same place),
or keep both the loops seperate (top/bottom) with plastic joiners only at the connection loop (this then gives you no connections at all on the bottom loop, top only by the bridges).

Many thanks to all for any advice given.

 

[PhilP]

A diagram would help..
Also an idea of where your equipment is going to be sited.

You will need (at least) one reverse loop module.

 

[stockers]

As I understand what your saying, I would run one loop on the central station and the other on the booster. Just run jumper cables across the bridge openings and take a jumper to the deck itself. Plastic joiners between the two loops. IF your joints are good the length of track will be no problem.

 

[Paul M]

It will help if your cables are on the larger size to minimise any volt drop

 

[DRG11]

Hi,

Thankyou for the info it all helps, it looks like 2 seperate loops as it sounds a better idea, thankyou

Im hoping to make a very tight fit with the rail joiners using the aristocraft screws supplied,

Do you think its worth putting an additional power feed in at the opposite ends of each loop to help stop any power drop ?

 

[Gizzy]

Hi,

Thankyou for the info it all helps, it looks like 2 seperate loops as it sounds a better idea, thankyou

Im hoping to make a very tight fit with the rail joiners using the aristocraft screws supplied,

Do you think its worth putting an additional power feed in at the opposite ends of each loop to help stop any power drop ?

Always worth taking a belts and braces approach....

 

[Rhinochugger]

Hi,

Thankyou for the info it all helps, it looks like 2 seperate loops as it sounds a better idea, thankyou

Im hoping to make a very tight fit with the rail joiners using the aristocraft screws supplied,

Do you think its worth putting an additional power feed in at the opposite ends of each loop to help stop any power drop ?

As has been mentioned before, I am the Life President, Secretary, Treasurer and sole member of the cooker cable club.

When I first had a G scale circuit, I asked an electrical engineer friend what size cable would ensure zero voltage drop over a distance of 80 feet.

He did some sums, erred on the side of caution, and suggested cooker cable (6.5mm2). I now have a 300 ft loop, with a cooker cable supply connecting at approx half-way points around the circuit. This means that, despite my best intentions (with a mixture of Aristo fishplates and Hillman rail clamps) for minimal voltage drop across the rail joints, the power only has to travel a max distance of 75ft along the track.

My (track powered) trains run without a problem

My live steam and battery powered ones are OK as well

 

[stockers]

Do you think its worth putting an additional power feed in at the opposite ends of each loop to help stop any power drop ?

yep

 

[DRG11]

Thankyou to all for the replies, I will get some cable for the additional power supplies,

Thankyou to all

 

[KentKeith]

My track is probably at least 700ft long (must walk it one day and find out) and is split into two power zones.

Last year I laid in a number of extra feeder cables (using ordinary what I call household cable sold by Wickes) ensuring that there is at least one feeder connected to the track between each set of points.

This year I went one stage further and replaced all the LGB track joiners (for the sections of LGB track) and the Aristocraft screws and track joiners (for the Aristocraft track) with Massoth brass Rail Clamps. Expensive and a fiddle to do but well worth it in the end.

Don't have any power-drop problems now!

 

[DRG11]

Hi Kent Keith,

Thats fantastic, if you can go that distance im sure that 150 foot will be ok,

I was going to use armoured cable from top to bottom only because I have some left over and enough to two runs.

Cheers

 

[Rhinochugger]

I was going to say that armoured is a bit OTT for 20v, but then if it's free

The whole point is that if you are going to get any voltage drop, it's going to be the joints - rail clamps do the business very well. Aristo screwed fishplates are pretty good if your fingers are strong enough to tighten the screws fully - some people have issues with the screws coming loose over a long period of time.

What I found, when I took some of the factory applied fishplates off Aristo track that had been outside for a good few years (up to 10 years I think) was that behind the fishplate, the brass was still bright and yellow. So it's a good system and Bachmann sell the fishplates now (from time to time).

For my first railway, it was too late to run a cable across the middle of the garden, so I buried it in the track bed it just means that you need a longer cable.

 

[stockers]

so I buried it in the track bed it just means that you need a longer cable.

Same here - I am running a full loop all the way round the circuit, connecting about every 25 ft. The cable will be a ring with both ends connected to the power supply. I am using 1.5 mm lighting cable - simply because that's what I have got.

 

[Paul M]

I was going to say that armoured is a bit OTT for 20v, but then if it's free

The whole point is that if you are going to get any voltage drop, it's going to be the joints - rail clamps do the business very well. Aristo screwed fishplates are pretty good if your fingers are strong enough to tighten the screws fully - some people have issues with the screws coming loose over a long period of time.

What I found, when I took some of the factory applied fishplates off Aristo track that had been outside for a good few years (up to 10 years I think) was that behind the fishplate, the brass was still bright and yellow. So it's a good system and Bachmann sell the fishplates now (from time to time).

For my first railway, it was too late to run a cable across the middle of the garden, so I buried it in the track bed it just means that you need a longer cable.

Probably better to bury it under the tracks than across the garden, because then you know exactly where it is and means there's no chance of digging it up by accident.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Probably better to bury it under the tracks than across the garden, because then you know exactly where it is and means there's no chance of digging it up by accident.

Yeah, for the WWNR (Garden railway Mk 11) the cable that bisects the loop is only under the lawn, so it's just in 20mm plastic conduit, about a spit depth.

If I was really pushed, I could sight one end from the other and trace the line of it

The theory is, that by putting the secondary feed across what would be the diameter of a circle, the power only as to go one quarter of the distance before it meets itself coming from the other direction. Rhino's crude ring main. So with 300 ft of track, the voltage only has to go 75 feet on track connections, and a lot of that is (second hand) LGB flexi which is in about 1000 mm lengths (being second hand, I never measured the individual bits, just bought everything that Terry was selling).

 

[Dan]

While MTS is a 5 amp system, make sure you wire the RR for a more robust system as in the future you may go to a larger/more powerful system. My present system is a 12/8 amp DCC combo, and I can switch to 10 amps DC.
And I do run feeders direct from my power source to opposite points of the Railroad.

 

[DRG11]

Many thanks to all for your input with this, and yes the armoured cable was free and it should be enough to do 2 runs to the top point of the loop,

Cheers guys

 

[Rhinochugger]

Many thanks to all for your input with this, and yes the armoured cable was free and it should be enough to do 2 runs to the top point of the loop,

Cheers guys

I had a bit of a panic on Sunday when a double header stopped on the 'high plains' section, just a week or so after I'd relaid the track at summit (with one of the main feeds being t'other side of the relaid section).

I thought the Life President, Secretary, Treasurer and sole member of the cooker cable club was going to be embarrassed, so quickly soldered some wires to an 18v motor to test out the track. All was OK but closer investigation revealed that the track was filthy and the Aristo track cleaning caboose hadn't been able to touch it after 9 or 10 passes. It's not just oxidation, but atmospheric crud and proximity to plants, hedges etc.

Had to resort to the LGB Mk1 track cleaner, and sharrafter clean the block on the Aristo caboose. I usually use acetone, as I only have nail polish remover at the weekends.

The alternative cleaning method what Paul (Casey) does on the CFR - run the trains every day, that works pretty well too