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Power Supply to HO Track
Tim would like to hear from anyone experienced in model train power supply and asks:
“How often should power be supplied to the track? Currently the track is 16 feet of total in length with one power supply connection.”
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4 Responses to Power Supply to HO Track
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In my humble opinion, track feeders from an under layout power bus should feed each section of track. If you are using sectional track, you should power each section. It’s the same for flextrack. I recommend using 12 or 14 awg wire under the layout for the power bus. You can use 22 awg from the track as feeders to get under the table, and 18 or 20 awg from the feeder wire to the power bus.
Track joiners are where power problems occur. Some problems can be alleviated by soldering the track joiners. From an electrical standpoint, I recommend no more than 3 feet of track between track feeders.
i’m kind of in the same boat, except i have a lot of bachmann ez-track. the small pack is enough to power the set, but since i have expanded it, would you recommend adding another re-railing powered section somewhere?
and i also have a question about wired accessories- most power packs only have one spot for accessories- can you hook up more than one accessory in that spot or would it blow the box?
example: i have 2 turnouts. would i need another power box to run the second turnout?
thanks!!!
I would put another power drop in at the other end of the track (furthest away from the pack) at a minimum. The more drops you have the better, at least one every 4 feet or so is a good rule of thumb.
You can run more than one accessory off of the ACC terminals. Any number of turnouts should not be a problem, especially since turnouts are a momentary draw (they only use power when actually switching).
thanks larry!