Transformers - Where do you place them?

Mine is an old living room end table with casters on it. [trestle style of course]  I added some cereal box emblems like I had back in the '50's. 

If one is using some sort of command control, the transformers can be almost anywhere.  Just placed it a place one can easily access.

I put my PowerMasters and PowerHouses on a used portable printer stand I got at Goodwill.

Before I saw the trailer for the first TRANSFORMERS movie, I though who would see a movie about ZW's!

I used to have mine in a control box that was directly below the platform and just barely off the ground (platform is only 18" high), but this year I re-purposed my wife's desk and have it mounted on that, so you can sit at the desk and control everything

Good stuff guys.  Here is my three cents worth...

First train room.  The Z4000 is sitting on a large drum of joint compound that's at least 30 years old.  The ZW is 60 years old, has a brother that ran the first family layouts, and still runs like a top.  Somehow, wires keep being added to this setup, which includes part of our old attic layout's wooden power distribution board.

Third train room.   All kinds of junk and another forest of wires behind another distribution board.  That ZW is a used one I picked up about 4 years ago.  It sits on an old phonograph table that slides in and out.  The CW80 runs lights and a trolley line. 

Overhead layout.   You can see the power wires going up to the ceiling.  That's the other 60 year old ZW from the first family layouts.  Sitting on an old cabinet we made for VCR's and video equipment that is now useless.   It rolls and the shelves slide, but I don't move it.

It ain't pretty but, they're all out of the way of people watching the trains.

Jerry

Here is mine.

I never have enough space on the layout itself to mount the transformers, unless I was willing to put them off in the corner.  My approach has been to put them on a slide out shelf.  When the trains were being run I'd have the shelf pulled out.  When they weren't the shelf would be slid back in so the transformers were under the layout.

The last layout had two transformer shelves.  In addition to the one on the outside edge that I used when just running trains I had a separate one located under a pop out in the middle of town.  This allowed me to work the industrial sidings that were within arms reach of that pop out.  The ultimate plan was to have the layout divided into blocks so it would be possible to operate from both locations at the same time, but things didn't get that far.

High up on the pole, out of the way :

Oh, you mean on the "layout":

Plywood Box on Casters

Steve

I put the transformer throttles for train running next to the layout (see photo) for easy access.  Transformer power for switches, accessories lighting, etc under the table.  TIU/AIU/Legacy are on a shelf under the ZW's.

I

Some very nice command centers you guys have. 

I built a little expansion shelf off the main table, a little lower for nerve center on mine. 

Melvin P posted:

I have come to the conclusion that neat wiring is a product of a sick mind. (LOL)

Melvin,

I somewhat agree.  Although my shelf and wiring looks pretty neat on top, behind the fascia it's a different story.  I made the little panel and rotary switch panel removable for maintenance if necessary (notice all the spade terminals).  I used a heavy gauge wire for safety sake, so they're not real flexible.  But once in place, they're not going anywhere.

It's been great seeing other guys' efforts on this topic!  Thanks to all of you!

poniaj posted:

Melvin P posted:

I have come to the conclusion that neat wiring is a product of a sick mind. (LOL)

Melvin,

I somewhat agree.  Although my shelf and wiring looks pretty neat on top, behind the fascia it's a different story.  

Does that mean I have a healthy/beautiful mind? LOL:

Seriously, the Z4000 controls the 2 independently powered main lines. The ZW on the top right and Atlas switches control the independently powered 8 sidings and numerous accessories. The ZW on the lower left controls the 15 independently powered 022 switch tracks, and the KW on the lower right controls an independently powered passing siding on the inside main line that also connects to 3 of the sidings, and independently powered remote control uncoupling/unloading tracks.

All of my main lines and sidings are interconnected.

I also have an SW transformer on top of a small storage unit a foot below the far left side of the layout (not shown in photo) that controls the lights in my village and the Animated Newstand accessory on that section of my layout.

I have plenty of power, and never had a short in 25 years because of the wiring. All of the feeder wires are soldered onto copper strips in front of the Z4000, ZW and Atlas Switches on the top of the small table in the photo; and short wires go from those copper strips to those 2 transformers.

I run conventional only, and the only remotes I have are 3 LionChief Plus (LC+) dedicated remotes, an LC+ Universal remote, and the LC App on my smartphone.

I learned block wiring for all my independently powered main lines and sidings from Greenberg's Model Railroading with Lionel Trains, Vol. 2: An Advanced Layout, which I highly recommend. It is my model railroad bible.

Arnold

PRRMP54 posted:

High up on the pole, out of the way :

Oh, you mean on the "layout":

PRRMP54,

I have been an electric power engineer for 37 years. Your top picture shows a wood arm burned through and a fused cutout, that should be attached to the arm, dangling off to the side. The phase conductor that is attached to our right end of that arm is in danger of coming loose and falling to the ground where someone could come in contact with it and be INJURED or KILLED. This is not a joke. If you know who the utility is that owns that pole please contact them immediately and get them to replace that arm! They should probably install new double wood arms at this location. Please believe me when I say this is a dangerous condition and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. It is an accident waiting to happen.

Panel and power packs for the South wall.

Panel lifts up and power packs roll out on drawer glides for service.  Wire looms drop below the terminal deck for elevator style slack to facilitate movement:

Tom,  No ZW's or even a VW?  Whats up with that?  Everyone else has a few.  Buy a broken ZW just to make it look right.

Bill,  Got them, really need a video to show everything.  This view is only one of several.  I have another pair of  Z's located to the right of photo, ZWs located below, eight additional Z-1000s plus eight additional CM-20 MRC power packs at various towns located around the train room.  The TIU and hand helds are awaiting Z-4000.  However, all that is taking a back seat to my recent battery R/C activity.

This RR is a combination of 2 and 3 rail activity with an On3 segment  construction effort starting to service a mountain branch line.

I run conventionally and my main control panel is somewhat central on my layout:

For the outside track I have a separate cart which can be rolled outside from the garage:

Inside all controllers are at an extension of the train table:

Regards

Fred

tncentrr posted:

PRRMP54 posted:

High up on the pole, out of the way :

Oh, you mean on the "layout":

PRRMP54,

I have been an electric power engineer for 37 years. Your top picture shows a wood arm burned through and a fused cutout, that should be attached to the arm, dangling off to the side. The phase conductor that is attached to our right end of that arm is in danger of coming loose and falling to the ground where someone could come in contact with it and be INJURED or KILLED. This is not a joke. If you know who the utility is that owns that pole please contact them immediately and get them to replace that arm! They should probably install new double wood arms at this location. Please believe me when I say this is a dangerous condition and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. It is an accident waiting to happen.

Chances are that’s why the photo was taken. My guess is that it was a news or social media photo revealing the damage.

 Not sure where this photo came from. Hopefully not a copyrighted news website.

Here are mine - all on shelves below platform and located on side of platform that does not face the room:

I placed my transformers, 2KWs and a ZW, on a separate stand which I attached to my layout.  The transformer stand is the same height as my layout.  Crude by most standards but its been working for almost 30 years so I'm satisfied.

sncf231e posted:

For the outside track I have a separate cart which can be rolled outside from the garage:

Inside all controllers are at an extension of the train table:

Regards

Fred

Nice , Fred!  But where do your automobiles go?  At my place, my wife gets one stall, and my street rod gets the other.  My 1937 Ford and Mullins trailer do NOT ever see sn*w.  And my wife's car will NOT be scraped of ice and sn*w in the Winter.  Now, the basement is quite another story.

poniaj posted:

sncf231e posted:

 

Nice , Fred!  But where do your automobiles go?  At my place, my wife gets one stall, and my street rod gets the other.  My 1937 Ford and Mullins trailer do NOT ever see sn*w.  And my wife's car will NOT be scraped of ice and sn*w in the Winter.  Now, the basement is quite another story.

Nice car!

I do not have a car. I sold it a couple of years ago because I didn't need it anymore. I have a bicycle and a bus stop and train station within a few minutes walk. Anyway, when I had  a car it never went in the garage.

Regards

Fred

My control center is in front of the yard/turntable area of an "L" shape 28ft. X 18ft. layout--- still under construction.  The 180w bricks are below & near the edge of the layout for easy reset access.  I have various switch & power controls on the fascia for specific areas on the layout.  I operate conventional with remotes (I have a lot of conventional locomotives).

Dennis