Chris, I have a large table layout and a newer ceiling layout that runs around the rec room. To provide you an example, the ceiling layout is double-tracked, 100 ft. around. There is a small yard, with a long spur so that I can park a whole consist.
The two main lines are powered through the TIU with one PW ZW, and the 14 gauge wire runs a bus for each, to each corner, and in opposite directions. So, only 4 power drops on each main. The spur and yard use one of the inside sliders for separate power. There are no dead spots or power drops, both mains reading 10, and always have.
One difference is that it's all Gargraves flex track and is necessarily screwed through the roadbed, and into the wood. The black Gargraves screws are perfect, hard to see, and the tracks don't move.
I've never used Realtrax or a Z1000. I use a Z4000 on two upper mains of my table layout, running 3 LCP's about 70 feet around. I've found I only needed one power drop for each of those, which surprised me. My conventional engines on PW tubular track suffer occasional power drops on my lower levels, but, never the Gargraves.
Hope this gives you some idea.
Jerry
