I use PSX AC's for each of my power districts. The first photo below shows the PSX AC. The three boards on the bottom.  They work great and are really fast.  I have fast blow fuses and two lionel ZW L's, when I have a derailment short the PSX AC trips faster than the ZW L's or the fast blow fuses. 

They will set you back around  44 bucks each from Charlie Ro Or Tonys Train Exchange.

http://www.tonystrains.com/pro...ype_powerprotect.htm

I need protection for my TRAINS

How about a Doberman or two?  

I'm with the others for the PSX-AC's from Tony's Train Exchange. These are excellent circuit protection for your modern electronic trains, possibly the best available. I think TVS's would also be good in addition to the PSX-AC's, can't have too much protection and those are very inexpensive. Tony's also has screw terminal blocks for them in kits, if you want to add those.

Getting back to the original posting on here, I would use TVS units and 8 amp circuit breakers rated for 120 volts AC.

What Dewey Trogdon has listed will work well for any post war transformer.

The PSX-AC are just overpriced comfort for somebody who wants to feel good! They may work good but they are too expensive just to do a basic job of circuit protection.

Lee Fritz

Yes they are, until you have a short that lasts a bit too long, waiting for the breaker to trip, and lets the smoke out of one of your electronic boards in one of your nice, expensive command control engines.  At about 10% of the cost of just one new command control engine, the PSX-AC will then seem like a real bargain compared to the $150-$250 the electronic board repair could cost.

I think the inexpensive circuit breakers are just fine for conventional operation with conventional equipment, or basic circuit protection. However, I have electronic command control engines only and I will be using the PSX-AC's that trip instantly and hoping for electronic circuit protection as well, not just basic circuit protection.

rtr12

Does the PSX have a built-in TVS. The circuit breaker itself won't absorb or clamp a voltage spike which is what damages circuit board components.

It does.

Thanks for the info Chuck.

Get the Lionel 6-34120 TMCC Direct Lockon.

When this subject comes up, I'm always surprised this isn't mentioned right away. It's made for TMCC, it's simple, easy to install, and works beautifully. And it looks good.

The Lionel 6-34120 TMCC Direct Lockon is a fast acting electronic circuit breaker designed to protect the track from spikes and shorts cause by derailments.
Originally desigend to be used with Lionel Powerhouse AC supply it will work with any AC transformer providing 15-18 volts.

So if you are using a older transformer to power your TMCC layout you can add a TMCC Direct Lockon between your track and the transformer's Fixed or variable outputs as long as the output voltage is set to 15-18 volts. 

You will also need the Power Adaptor Cable 6-12893 if using a transformer for power.

It's fast, the Lionel, but not as feature rich as the PSX-AC which costs only $10 more or so.

http://www.dccspecialties.com/...s/pdf/man_psx-ac.pdf

I see cjack has already answered, but yes, one of the many features of the PSX-AC's is over voltage protection. If you are interested, here is a short data page on them from the manufacturer - PSX-AC Info   There are some links to more info if you want more to read.

I'm no expert, but personally I still like the idea of TVS's in individual engines and on the transformers for some added safety. When you are running expensive electronic engines a little extra protection can do no harm. My ideas on this came from the forum here (and all the folks that are always helping us with the electronics stuff).

One reason I don't bring it up is that it's totally incompatible with DCS, so if you run MTh stuff, that's a deal breaker.  Also, I have several engines that will trip this box every time they pass close to the track power feed.  Nothing at all wrong with them, just some oddity with the box.  One of them is a Legacy model, the other is a TMCC ERR upgrade.

Can the Lionel TMCC Lock On be installed to Gargraves track and still function correctly?

The TMCC Direct Lockon works with any track type.

THANK YOU JOHN.

Thank's to ALL who responded to my post.

Tell them "just say no!" 

I like using the TMCC lockon, but it doesn't work very well at lower voltages for example if you are using a TPC with your TMCC system to operate conventional locomotives at lower speeds.

For the people who like the PSX-AC, how does it work at lower voltages such as the TPC environment?

I only have command control stuff, so I have only used them with constant 18VAC power bricks. No voltages are specified in the directions that I can find, so I don't see why they would react any different at lower voltages? They do have four settings for current. I will try to find a way to test one at some lower voltages.

I know very little about the Lionel TPC's and Direct Lockon's other than some of the forum members have said the Lockons don't play well with DCS, which is what I have.

rtr12,

The Powermaster or TPC (track power control) devices are used to operate conventional control (non-TMCC) locomotives on a TMCC layout using a CAB 1 or CAB 2 controller, say for example if you want to run a post war locomotive on your TMCC controlled layout.

Basically, it controls the voltage to the track. The Powermaster/TPC takes the 18 volt output from the PowerHouse or whatever transformer you are using, and lowers the voltage to a lower level at the track. The red speed control knob on the CAB controller performs the same function as if you were using a handle on a ZW controller to control the voltage to the track and the speed of a conventional locomotive. You need one Powermaster/TPC for each loop of track.

The Direct Lockon is made for the TMCC 18 volt environment and in my experience doesn't work very well when the voltage drops below a certain point (It has been a while, so I don't remember what voltage number I saw in operation.). I don't know enough about electronics to say exactly what it is, but it  basically acts as an electronic circuit breaker with an auto reset feature.

Lionel has a relatively new product, the Legacy Powermaster, that has improved electronic protection. I don't have one, but I would think it would operate throughout the voltage range of the Powermaster. Lionel has announced (mentioned?) they are going to produce improved TPC units. I'd guess they are also going to have improved electronic protection.

Thank you for the explanations. You explain it better than Lionel. Forum member N.Q.D.Y. did explain the new Legacy Powermaster features a while back, they sound like a really good device. It's possible the new Legacy Powermaster does everything the PSX-AC does from the features described?

I just re-entered the hobby about three years ago after a 30-40 year lapse and from Lionel's explanations in the catalogs I never really understood why I would need some of these things, many of them seem redundant. As you say, I think they are trying to re-work some of these items adding some improvements and making things a bit simpler.

I only have one Legacy diesel (purchased first of Sept. '13) and I'm still waiting on a Legacy 990 system so I can run it. Ordered the 990 at the same time I purchased the engine. Not real critical yet, we moved last fall and I'm still getting things set up for my trains and everything has taken about three times longer than I thought it would. I'm getting close though, so I hope they hurry up and get the problems resolved with the 990s.

I have PH-180's for track power which have very good and fast breakers. The PSX-AC's trip before the PH-180's, they are instant, and also provide over voltage protection among other things. To be fair, I have the PSX-AC's set for 8 amps (they have four settings for amperage) and the PH-180's are 10 amps. The PSX-AC's are user selectable for either auto or manual reset. I prefer the manual reset so I can find the short and fix it before the track power comes back on. They really are a nice device.

  I took Dale's advice.

Those circuit breakers are not much to look at so I did not mount them in a panel. I know there under my control panel/bar.

Want to protect your trains TVS/transorbs are great.  Want something to keep derailed wheels from welding to the track due to high current go with these.

PSX info

The TMCC Direct Lockon is really only designed for constant voltage command operation.  It gets flaky around 11-12 volts on the track.  Note that the name actually pretty much tells you what the intended environment is for the product.

The Legacy PowerMaster does have an excellent circuit breaker function, it trips faster than the PH180 bricks, which I have always held up as the gold standard of the standard product circuit protection.  I've never personally used the PSX product, but from my reading of the PCX-AC Description, it sounds like it would be at least equal to the Lionel PH180 for circuit protection.

I personally think you'd be pretty well protected with any of these products as your primary line of defense.  I'd add a 33 or 36 volt 1500W TVS across the track feed in addition.

I have two of these running my DCS layout.  Works excellently.

And on a whimsical note, reading the thread title, I thought of Marlon Brando's  Godfather style protection (cue "Speak Softly Love" theme song)

Now, if we could just find someone who is very good with electronics and has some good test equipment and knows how to use it and likes to tinker and design new circuits and stuff for trains and repair broken electronics in trains and then we could talk them into purchasing one of these PSX-AC's to thoroughly test and really run it through the paces we would really know their capabilities. Gunrunnerjohn, you wouldn't happen to know anyone that fits this description would you? (Hint, hint, hint)   

I am convinced, have already purchased mine and have been very impressed with them and my very un-scientific testing. My electronics abilities and equipment are a bit (well quite a bit) lacking or I would have already tried this. I don't even have a true RMS meter, only have some Harbor Freight and Radio Shack el-cheapo specials for meters and some of the Harbor Freight ones were even free with coupon.

I can almost sense your curiosity level is rising as I complete this post... 

It hasn't risen to the level to get me doing exhaustive research.

Drat, I'll keep trying...

Sounds like it may be appropriate to use something else if voltage is being considerably varied. However, Stephen, the original poster who wanted advice, said he runs TMCC, so I thought he would be needing something designed for constant voltage command operation. It may not be the "best" though, although it has worked flawlessly for me running TMCC.

My fault for adding the additional question about lower voltage. I've been happy with the TMCC direct lockon when running at the normal TMCC voltage.