Thanks for the replies and information.
Re: Pullmor F3 pair and speed variation, Ted: yes, there is some slowing near block ends, but acceptable: doesn’t crawl too much nor look unrealistically fast, so it’s OK. I have a high percentage of hidden track, so the places where speed changes gradually don’t attract attention. This is like the favorite fishing lure (like my ancient Pikie Minnow that caught northern pike but not much else in my youth, but still fished with it anyway…), these custom CNW F3s look perfect with the undersize Lionel ore drag, and they were what the CNW used back in the late 40s and 50s in northern Michigan to move ore, along with ten wheelers and mikados and in mid 50s baby Trainmasters. So they are one option for those trains. The amperage varies little, just rises a tiny bit as you would expect near block center where voltage is 1v higher or so and motors draw more power. All appears as expected.
Re: choice of power for command operation: I already own the Mainline Industries The MAX as well as a couple of Z4000’s. One power district: Running my 8 track passenger terminal and its district including switching postal tracks and North Western Express Terminal means that I could have a couple of trains powered and moving plus a switcher working simultaneously at times, plus lights on trains sitting waiting to depart. Two more districts: The two Galena Division E-W mainlines each have tracks where a second train may be drawing power while one train runs on the mainline; one of those will include the multi-deck staging yard and its 2% grade approach track, the other the center third track at West Chicago where a train may be running while a switcher or other loco is active around the engine terminal. Fourth district: Wisconsin Division on the upper level is the only “low current” area, but may add the West Chicago freight and commuter holding yard to its load to spread the amperage optimally. Track is powered with 12 ga bus wires, and all smaller branches are at least 14 ga except for individual track section drops of 16-18 ga.
So: my preference would be to have a simple pair of PH180’s in parallel and a PSX1-AC set for 15.4 amps connected to the track buses for each of the four districts, and switch between that power supply and one of the existing transformer outputs for conventional in the occasional case of using it, using a SPST 20A capacity switch for the hot conductor only leaving the common ground alone, upstream of the PSX1-AC. I don’t think I need to use the PowerMaster 360’s given what I already own. I plan to buy four of Zacharia’s latest passive TIU mode boards and place the TIU in the optimum location for signal getting to all the places it must reach, including the complex passenger terminal. With Rev L TIU, and a number of PS3.0 locos and later PS2.0 locos, I’m hopeful this will be relatively trouble free. My collection of early PS2 locos may be a challenge. Good thing the stacker boards are becoming available for those! Lots of work already in place including Susan Deats’s filters at all useful places, etc, and so far good control having not yet started terminal operations. TMCC and Legacy signal problems were solved several years ago, don’t think that will cause problems.
Comments about the merits and any safety issue I’m missing, with the above description? Thanks
