power transformer

[climber]

can you please advice on proper amperage transformer needed for about 70 ft' of track? It will be going around a Dairy Queen lobby.
Thank you.

[Nathan]

In order to answer the question we need to know other information.  What locomotives will be run?  How long a train will be run.  Do you know how heavy the cars are?  Will the track be lever or have grades in it?  What type of track will be used?  Will there be times you run more then one locomotive at a time?

[climber]

Nathan. all very good questions, the track level  is flat it will be used to go around the lobb in a Dairy Queen, the kids and adult all love it.
We previously had a track of about 30 ft. in length and if we run a scale G locomotive with three cars, after about 45 minutes it would stop.Probably overheated the speed controller.There will only be one train at the time and the track is the standard track that most G scale seem to share.
Thank you very much for any assistance.

[Nathan]

If you are talking about the Bachmann track, train sets and the power pack that comes with them, then you may want to look at the next step up in power packs which is MRC.  The cost is in line with what you want to do.  Yes there are other makers of power packs such as Bridgewerks, but this would be over kill for what you want to do.

The MRC AG990 is available from a number of places.  You may also find the older AA444 at some hobby shops.  My father had used his AA444 for quite a while with his larges scale equipment and had no problems.

No matter which track you are using, Bachmann, LGB, Aristo, or other large scale track you will probably want to feed the track at two places using 70 feet of track.

The stopping problem: was this with several different locomotives, or did you have just one to work with?  I had one locomotive that did stop after an hour or so, but a second one just like it always ran no problems.  Some times the problem may be the power connection point, or where the wires go into the power pack.

When you do the new loop make sure that all the cars have metal wheels.  Many of the older sets from most of the manufactures had plastic wheels on the cars.  This will leave a light film on the track and you will have to clean it more.

[climber]

 :)Nathan.
Thank you for your suggestions, I will start looking for the brand you advised me to buy (MRC power pack). I will also do as you suggested and try two power packs connected at equal distances.
Thank you.
I would not be doing this is it wasn't for all the kids and adults that keep asking for to have the train back. We had to take the original one down due to remodeling.

[VirginiaCentral]

Climber, NOT TWO POWER PACKS!  That could be very dangerous.  Use one, better grade of power supply such as the MRC which can handle the current requirements without overheating.  Connect it, the one power supply, to the track at two different locations, one close to the power suppy and one at the greatest distance from the power supply,  to help reduce voltage loss through the track.  Make sure you don't get your wires crossed or you will cause a dead short.  The outside rails must both be connected to the same terminal on the power supply and likewise, the inside rails will be connected to the other terminal.

Jerry

[climber]

Nathan.
Thank you again. I was thinking about connecting two smaller power supplies in "parallel'. However, I am only going to buy a good unit with a good power rating of at least two amps of steady duty.
Thank you.