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Powering a simple layout


Tageskarte
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Hi Guys,

Couldn't think where to put this so I have placed here.

My layout is very simple. Essentially 2 lines running side by side in a big oval round a tree and flower bed. There are no immediate plans for any automated points and ideally I want to just set the trains off and let them run independently.

I have no trains with sound or anything like that. What is the easiest (possible cheapest) way to achieve this? -ie, what power pack should I invest in?

(Know nothing of electrics)

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HI tageskarte, a big welcome to the forum, hard question to answer, how many locos do you have and the size of your layout, you are like me I don't know a lot about the electrics enough to get by, my surjection is join a train club they can help you out.

Depends what way you want to go stay DC or switch to DCC so many brands to choose from, some locos you can't switch to DCC

My layout is like yours as well will have some points motorised the ones that are furtherest away from the control panel, not a lot of scenery mainly the station and bridge on the back of the layout, I like to see the trains running around the layout, garden railway is the best way to go size wise, what scale are you modelling.

We like to see some pics as well, since you have a layout up and running you can start a thread in the garden railway thread.

Tony from down under ;)

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You say that you have a big oval. How big is big?

My assumption is that you are thinking that you will be running one train on each track. Which is great. Buy a DC controller.

However, if your oval is large enough (say over 20 metres) then running more than one train at a time on each track becomes very attractive. When friends are round we will run up to 3 trains on each (30 metre) loop, so 6 trains in all. When on my own I often have a slow freight lumbering around one track while two passengers operate on the other.

For this operation you will need DCC. I use a NCE PowerCab, it's great.

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Hi guys,

Much appreciated. For clarity it's essentially an oval about 4ft x 9ft (that's a lazy on-sofa, raining outside guess). My intention will be to have a class 37 running one way and a class 47 the other way. They are the only locos I'll be running for the foreseeable.

Rgds

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