Hi all! First post!
So my 10 year old and I are about to embark on a new adventure building a train system in our main family room. This will be up near the ceiling along an existing wooden lighting system. This is just a track, no scenery, no crossing, no cute little cows or farms or drive in movie theaters. The train would run back and forth for maybe an hour a week. I’ve figured some things out but still need some help with layout. I’ll be using Atlas 55 flex track due to the low profile. Here are some of my questions:
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Due to the overall track length (110’ total), I understand I need to wire the track up at certain intervals due to voltage drop. How do I know how often to bring more power to the track? 20ft? 50ft? Do I need to check voltage drops with a multimeter.
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I have a dead end. My goal is to have it automatically slow down, hit a reverse signal of some sort, and head in the opposite direction. I’ve seen a ‘kit’ that does something like this, but I’d like to understand how to do it without a kit. Also, because I’m usuing flex track without any track bedding (is that what it’s called?), the kit won’t even work in my case since it comes with track similar to Kato track.
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How do I go about deciding what controller to purchase? Out of curiousity, I did buy the Kato Commuter series starter set just to get the feel for N scale, speed, etc. It has a basic controller. Could I just use that or do I need a special controler for my setup?
I know I can spend weeks or years learning about this, but hoping I can get a jumpstart from you kind folks. Also plan on stopping by my local train club and chatting with them for a bit. Thank you so much for any help you might send my way!!!