This may be obvious…but do you guys leave your transformers plugged in when you aren’t running the trains? I have an old Lionel postwar set and a new(er) kline set with the 120w transformer. Just wondering.
They are plugged ino a power strip. I cut power to the power strip when I’m not playing with my trains.
Never…Everything goes off with a switch.
Not intentionally…
One big reason for not leaving it plugged in is the recent posts regarding fires on the layout. With all the wires and accessories we add to our sets, and the high value we place in these, and never mind the safety to our families, I think just cutting the power to the transformer is one of the easiest and safest things we can do. If you are building a large layout with lots of power use, you may want to have a dedicated electrical circuit with a switch that you can cut power to the whole thing.
Dennis
I never leave mine plugged in.
[#ditto]
Many of these transformers are 50 years old and I always turn them off when not in use. They get warm even when on 0 voltage and no load.
I have a rat shack keyed switches with light indicators on my control panels to tell me when the switch is on. The key was for train board control when my kids were small!
Charlie
I have a power strip also. I go to 0 volts on my DCS,return the handles to the off postion, and turn the power strip off.
Jim H
NO POWER WHEN NOT IN USE
laz57
[#ditto][#ditto][#ditto]
[#ditto]
me too [;)]
That’s exactly what I do, plus I have a water hose near the layout, in case of fire ! [:D]
( just kidding about the water hose ! )