power supplies

Garden Railroading
1

hi
my name is barry and i am starting a garden railroad in my front yard it will have about 130 feet of track to start with . i have read that the power drop over the length of this track could cause problems.
i need advice or a place where i can read up on power supplies and the best way to set up for the 130 feet of track. also i have started a railroad up on the ceiling that runs through 4 rooms still with out a power supply
can anyone out there help
thanks barry

2

Hello Barry…I have over 400 feet of track…powered by an Aristocraft elite power supply…I have 12 gauge low voltage wire running under the track. I am connecting to the track every 20 feet or so…Rail clamps work great for this…By using the 12 gauge cable, I have VERY little voltage drop over the entire set. I just upgraded from the 10 amp ultima power supply after getting some good feedback from many people. If you do not already have a power supply, I have the ultima sitting in a box…

good luck…

Joe (mascitti@bellsouth.net)

3

How did you connect the wire to the clamps? I tried using a propane torch on a test piece of track and melted the plastic ties without getting the wire to solder. Also what brand/supplier of joiners did you use? Thanks

4

I used split-jaw clamps…they make clamps for power connections as well as for holding track together…you can find them in the GR magazine…

Joeee

5

I have done some research into clamps. I found two brands, Hillman’s and Split Jaw. Does anyone have a preference and reason?

I also see that there are clamps that fit over the rail joiners and others that require the joiner to be removed. I have a lot of LGB track and removing the joiners will take some effort, but I want track that will have good electrical conductivity.

Thanks

6

When we started about 16 years ago, we used LGB flex track as LGB was basically the only manufacturer of track at the time. We used rail joiners with a brand of rail clamp that (We believe) is no longer on the market. Subsequently, we began using Hillman’s rail clamps over the joiners. This past fall, we had to replace some rail joiners because they started to fail due to age, etc. but we were able to use the railclamps over again.

Hope this helps,

George

I would urge you to keep the joiners on the track and use rail clamps over them. Our main line is built in three sections or blocks. The farthest block is approx 90 feet from the power pack in the basement. We use low voltage-16 ga wire for power feed. A few years ago we did add a wire from the end of the block feed to the center of the block, but found out later it was unnecessary . We also experimented with conductive grease, but in our opinion, it did not do anything but make a mess.

7

Hi
My layout is tiny compared to some mentioned but i have run a series of feeds as well
but i buried 2" PVC pipe wit bits of 4" pipe to act as cable pits.
so I can easaly add or alter as needed the wireing of the line
regards John

8

I’m looking for a power supply for our garden railroad. We have roughly a 20 foot diameter track. We will probably try to run two engines with two to three cars with them. Also, I have a waddlin goslin that I like to run on the track. I was told I should try to find a 19 volt power supply. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I would be interested in getting a used one in good condition if the price is right.

Thanks,
Scott Jackson
A “rookie garden railroader”