Updated 10/24/2017:
After a lot of thought, I have come up with the power distribution plan for the new layout. The board uses a Block Power Controller (BPC) and 2 Track Power Controllers (a TPC300 and a TPC400). The blocks are reworked as follows:
1 Steubenville (mainline) powered by a Power House 180
2 PRR Bridge (mainline) powered by a Power House 180
3 Weirton (mainline) powered by a Power House 180
4 Weirton Steel (yard) powered by a Power House 180
5 Coal Mine (yard) powered by a Power House 135 attached to a TPC300 and a Block Power Controller
6 Weirton Junction (yard) powered by the same PH135, TPC300, and BPC controls above.
7 River Route (branch line) powered by the same PH135, TPC300, and BPC controls above.
8 Staging Area (yard) powered by a Power House 180
The components should give me the ability to:
- Shut power on/off selectively to each of the yards using the BPC.
- Run trains on the River Route in either Conventional or Command mode using the TPC300. Since that is just a loop, it's perfect for Christmas trains or train running by grandchildren w/o affecting the trains of bigger kids (like myself
).
The power distribution panel itself will measure 30" H x 8' W. It will feature light bulbs (to indicate power), fuses, and labels for each of the 8 power districts. Transformers and Power Houses will sit on a TV cart that can be rolled away from the layout for maintenance work on the board. AC accessories and switch buses will be supplied by K-Line PowerChief 120F transformers. DC accessories and lights will be supplied by a 3VDC wall wart (traffic lights, telephone pole lights), 5VDC power supply (TBD), and a 12VDC power supply (animations and lights).
I like this design. It's less cluttered and (I think) a big improvement over the Panhandle 1.0 board.
Your comments are welcome.
George
