I have been sifting through various posts on this subject and would appreciate the latest thinking on the subject of the necessity of modern circuit breakers/fuses, TVS, bridge recitifiers, separate DC transformer, etc. I am at the point of pulling wire and laying track, and want to future proof my electrical equipment to the extent I can -- and not burn down the house.
My layout is all early post war powered by two ZW 275 watts - nothing later than 1959 in terms of engines, lights, operating accessories, etc. Plan on running upwards of three trains over 200+ feet of track, 15 turnouts (o22s and 5132/3's), 10+ operating accessories (yes, I constantly thank my wife's great uncle for buying all this stuff). I will have somewhere between 5 -10 relays for block control (Dale H is looking at my wiring diagram). I also want to put in bi-color LEDs on my control panel to show turnout direction (found a very good posting on that - thanks). And all turnouts and accessories will be controlled from the control panel using recently purchased SPSTs, DPDTs, etc. I am also thinking about using LED lights for inside various structures on the layout and perhaps some AC compatible LED lights such as available from Train Electrics.
So here are the questions
- Should I get a separate DC transformer as a long term investment to power my relays, LED lights, etc. or do a bridge rectifier?
- Should I supplement the circuit breakers inside the ZWs with external circuit breakers and a TVS or are those things "belts and suspenders" for a post war stuff? The ZWs and all the equipment were serviced by a reputable train shop which has unfortunately closed
- Recommendations in terms of brands and even specific part numbers - I use Digikey but have looked at other supply houses. I have also looked at the Train Electrics and other specialty sites
For someone getting back into the hobby, the forum is proving immensely valuable - thanks all
