I've seen videos of of peoples Christmas setup where they run track throughout their main floor. My question relates to the need for feeder wires in this type of setup. I don't see feeder wires in the videos or want to add them for a temporary display. I'll use a Lionel ZW-L transformer. Can I do this just by increasing power as needed or am I not seeing the feeder wires?
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It will likely be very slow at the far end, farthest from the transformer. But you can sure give it a try and add extra power feeds as and where needed.
Rod
Sounds like great fun running trains on the floor throughout the main floor of the house.
Very good question: how to hide the feeder wires in such a set up. All I can think of is having trackside structures and scenery that hides such feeder wires.
Maybe the feeder wires are under the track and hidden by the track.
As Rod has stated, it will probably slow down at the farthest point from your power supply. Just run a booster line to that spot. When I was young, I use to run a large circle of track through the upstairs of my parents home. it went through three bedrooms, a bathroom and a hallway at the top of the stairs. I had hours of fun running my American Flyer train.
Great fun Jim. Reminds me of stuff myself and a couple of train buddies did back when we were kids (about a hundred years ago!). Haha.
As someone once said:
Can anyone explain the correct way to add feeder wires. I was planning to run trains on an entire floor of my home, too.
For my situation I was going to hook the transformer close to a mid point near the opening between two rooms and add a feeder where the tracks come closer at the threshold into the next room. That way the distance and amount of wire will be shorter.
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Very good question: how to hide the feeder wires in such a set up...
Not sure if my wife has noticed, but about 20 years ago I drilled holes through to the basement and ran wires from one part of the living room to another (coming up just inside of a closet) and also to my son's bedroom down the hall as we put a reverse loop down there at Christmas.
I hope the she is NOT reading this forum over your shoulder!
Years ago I ran two loops around my living room which is 30 feet by 16 feet.
I put my zw at the half way point. I ran another set of wires directly across from the zw, but under an area rug.
Trains ran fine.