I HAVE AN 101 HOGGER POWER PACK FOR WHICH IS ABOUT 5 YEARS OLD.THE MOMENTON DID NOT WORK GOOD ON ALOT OF LOCOS. I AM THINKING OF BUYING A MRC CONTROL MASTER 20. IS THIS PACK GOOD FOR RUNNING 3 LOCO ON ONE TRAIN. BEFORE I GOT THE HOGGER, I HAD A MRC TEAC 3 PACK. THAT DID NOT WORK WILL FOR 3 LOCOS. IT THE CONTROL MASTER 20 GOOD FOR 3 LOCOS ON ONE TRAIN.
RICHARDTRAINS@AOL.COM
You hurt our ears with your shouting, silverchampion!
To say nothing of your incredible revisions of the common spelling of English words!
Actually, over the years I have found MRC power packs to be very good, reliable, etc. Just make sure the amp rating of the pack is sufficient for your needs.
Yes, first, try turning off the caps lock button.
Anyway, I think your best bet would be to go with a new MRC Tech 4 220 or 260. Plenty of power to run up to 24 locomotives!
Go to http://www.modelrec.com and click on “Train Controls” then click on tech 4
I really enjoy the tech 4 260…it has momentum and a brake and powers up to about 7 locomotives…I’ve only had trouble with one MRC pack and it was a duel throttle (that was given to me as a gift so i can’t really complain)…I also have some MRC packs from the early 80’s that are still going strong…I think MRC packs are the way to go…Chuck[:D]
SC - in addition to the SHOUTING, you have provide no information as to the size or type of locomotives you want to run. The Tech 4 packs others have mentioned above are great for HO applications, but they will barely handle on larger scale locomotive.
I went all out and got the Tech4 350. While I used it (just converted to DCC), it had enough power to run all of my locomotives, plus a homemade signal control circuit and a smoke unit in a building. I like the programmable aspect of it. You can program the top end voltage and momentum. It gives 6 different momentum settings. It also has a walk around control that I used. It has 30VA of power, so you should be fine.
On the back of every power pak should be ‘VA’ rating in fine print. THIS is the answer to your question.
All 12 volt power Paks are basically the same -once the ‘bells and whistles’ ( figure of speech*) have been removed. It’s a question of Amperage and how much of it you need to make the wheels go around.
Not all engines are equal, and you havent specified what engines you have. Old Athearn 'Blue Box consumed 1 amp each. In VoltAmperes (or Watts) thats approx. 36VA for 3 engines. Now compare that to the latest Atlas, Stewart, or Kato’s which run at only 1’4th of that. (3 engines = 9VA). Making sense? Are you going to run old Athearn or Kato??
If you want to compromise, 3 engines @0.75amps ea. X 12 volts = 27 VA and that’s a ball park figure. NOW add the ‘whistles and bells*’ - and are you going to use any accessories?
- “Bells & Whistles” - A industry term for ‘sales features’ that are attention grabbers -
The large printing by silverchampion may be caused by an eyesight problem. I am 65 and have a high resolution LCD monitor set at hi-res for more data on the screen. But this small printing on old eyes at 11:35 PM is damn tough guys, and very easy to mistype. I know that cap lettering is “considered” shouting, but it is real easy to read.
No problem Silver man:
But you need a 19" monitor.
Hi Ho … and Away!
So do I Don…I think I will convince the wife that she needs my 17"
Hey there ***, meet some of us seniors with the same limitations on"How old is the oldest"
I just got an MRC Controlmaster 20 because it has that neat telephone cable thingie that lets me walk around the room and follow the trains. I’ve been able to triple-head some of my BLI steamers with it (and believe me, on DC, those babies are real power-chompers) and have very good response from my other brass steamers. You might take a look at that one, Silverchampion. I really like mine. Hint, if you have any BLI locos, I talked to an MRC rep, and he suggests that you use the ‘Nudge’ button to get better response from their high starting voltage. He assures me it won’t damage anything, as the current levels off after you reach running speed.