How many accessories can a PW ZW control?

It's simple. Add up the total wattage of all accessories that will be operating at the same time. Then calculate the maximum wattage that your trains will use when they are all operating.  If the total is less than the wattage that a ZW will deliver, you're OK.  A 275 Watt ZW will probably deliver around 70% to 75% efficiency, so that's around 200 Watts.

If the only accessories are the ice depot, the gateman, and the signal bridge, you have more than enough power. The signal bridge is just two lamps that are on at the same time, and the ice depot uses a momentary impulse to push one cube at a time, plus the lamp in the ice house.

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

currently I have a 4x8 table that will contain all Lionel postwar. I'm installing a buss wire system from the ZW and I wanted to know how many additional accessories I can operate off the ZW. I'm guessing I can make a separate buss system that goes to all my accessories. The only accessories that it will control is the Lionel ice depot, automatic gateman, and 450 signal bridge

feedback would be appreciated 

Usually the answer depends on how many trains you are running at once, whether they are single-motored or double motored locos, passenger or freight, how many switches and switch controller bulbs and whether the accessories are momentary or continuous operating accessories.  However I think it would be very hard to overload a ZW in just a 4x8 table space.

But if you want more info,  the post-war operating manuals contain a very informative page on transformer capacity and locomotive and accessory amperage requirements.

HTH,  

Bill