Legacy and the New HalMark Santa Train

They are intended to run together.  No issues.  You can run Legacy and Lion Chief and LC+ together without harm or foul.  You obviously cannot run the Hallmark set from the Legacy remote just the one that came with the set or the soon to be released multi-engine remote for LC and LC+.

MartyE,

  Thank you sir for the knowledge I appreciate it very much.  Will now add the Legacy drop to the new RealTrax inner loop on the 2nd level of the Christmas layout.

PCRR/Dave

I run LC and LC+ on the same tracks that are also supporting DCS and Legacy/TMCC, no issues at all.  All the LC or LC+ stuff needs is track voltage, it doesn't know or care what control system signals are also present.

Guns & MartyE,

     Do I need to safe guard the Santa Engine with 10 Amp Breakers, as I do my DCS, if I am going to use the old ZW to power those particular Tracks, want to keep this real simple so my wife and her friends can run the Santa Train with the remote control that comes with it, when I am out training gun dogs.

PCRR/Dave 

I'd be thinking more along the lines of a 2A breaker for just this single train.  No reason on earth this needs that much power as the power-pack that comes with it is probably the 36W one for most LC stuff.

Guns,

   Now you thru me a real curve, I have the 10 Amp Scott Breakers, are you telling me I need to go to 2 Ampers, for this particular Train.  I do run other Legacy trains not this particular inside loop also.  If I need to only run this one Halmark Santa Train on this loop, with it's own power supply, I can do that also.  I usually don't get into these small modern transformer however.

PCRR/Dave

I'm just telling you that this train will never draw more than an amp or a bit more.  How you protect the track is up to you.  I use a 2A breaker on my test bench to avoid toasting stuff under test.  You were the one that mentioned keeping it safe, if that's all I was running on that layout, I'd use one of the 2A breakers.

Guns,

   It looks like I should pick up a 2A breaker then.  Thanks for the advise, I appreciate it.

PCRR/Dave

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Guns,

   It looks like I should pick up a 2A breaker then.  Thanks for the advise, I appreciate it.

PCRR/Dave

Is that the only engine running on that loop?  If you change it up and put a PW and some lighted passenger cars on that loop that may not be enough.  I guess it all depends on what you are going to run there.

I'm running a LionChief Polar Express and six lighted passenger cars right now, the one time I just touched on 2 amps is when I cranked the control way up to full throttle briefly.  The Santa train has a lighted caboose and three freight cars, this is not even close.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm running a LionChief Polar Express and six lighted passenger cars right now, the one time I just touched on 2 amps is when I cranked the control way up to full throttle briefly.  The Santa train has a lighted caboose and three freight cars, this is not even close.

Does a LC Polar Express with lighted passenger cars draw as much as say a dual motor PW F3 with lighted passenger cars?  Again I prefaced my answer on what was being run, if anything, besides the Santa LC set.  While 2 Amps is plenty for most modern starter sets, if  he decides to run something else 2 amps may or may not be enough.  Just sayin'.

MartyE,

   I am just worried about damaging the new Santa Train with the old ZW, most of the time I will keep the Santa Train on the RealTrax inside loop around the Bear Christmas Tree, all by itself.  I do however have the Legacy drop running to the inside loop also.

PCRR/Dave

Marty, the advice was for Dave's specific situation where he was only running the Halmark Santa LC train, that was the specific scenario.  I don't think I'd want to try to run my VL-BB with a 2A breaker either!

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

MartyE,

   I am just worried about damaging the new Santa Train with the old ZW, most of the time I will keep the Santa Train on the RealTrax inside loop around the Bear Christmas Tree, all by itself.  I do however have the Legacy drop running to the inside loop also.

PCRR/Dave

So why wouldn't you just use the power supply that came with it.  Seems like the safest and easiest solution rather than buying more stuff.  Especially if you're not running other trains on that loop.

Marty, now that is a valid question!

Marty & Guns,

   I already have the old ZW and the Legacy hooked up to the inner RealTrax loop, running the Conventional Masonic Train, it's where the new Santa Train will be running, come Christmas morning.  I do not even know which small transformer is coming with the Lionel Hallmark Santa Train, if it's a CW-80 it will definitely not be used on my Christmas layout.

PCRR/Dave

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Marty & Guns,

   I already have the old ZW and the Legacy hooked up to the inner RealTrax loop, running the Conventional Masonic Train, it's where the new Santa Train will be running, come Christmas morning.  I do not even know which small transformer is coming with the Lionel Hallmark Santa Train, if it's a CW-80 it will definitely not be used on my Christmas layout.

PCRR/Dave

It's the Lionel Chief wall wart type.  From the replacement parts list.

MartyE,

   Can I just take the wires off the old ZW and connect them to this Wal Wart, must I use this little thing at all?   I just do not want to damage the new Santa Train with the old ZW.

PCRR/Dave

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

MartyE,

   Can I just take the wires off the old ZW and connect them to this Wal Wart, must I use this little thing at all?   I just do not want to damage the new Santa Train with the old ZW.

PCRR/Dave

DO NOT connect the wires from the ZW to the wall wart!  The wall wart is made to be used with this piece of Fastrack that comes with the set.

The barrel end simply plugs into the track.  The other end to an outlet.  Your done.

If you use the ZW then you would connect it as it is now with the added protection of the fuse discussed above.  Never use the ZW and the wall wart on the same track at the same time.  I think the ZW would win.

While not the Hallmark set, this manual for the Snoopy Halloween set would give you a general idea of how the LC sets go together.

Not to go off topic, but since someone mention the "Lionel Chief wall wart type" I was thinking about using it to power my tiu  I found them cheap on ebay.  I am hoping they work.  I use the mintronics power boards for powering lights and I am hoping that I can use the "wart" for powering the board.  I like the idea of  plug that will fit into the terminal board. 

The LC wallwart would work fine for powering the TIU..

gunrunnerjohn posted:

The LC wallwart would work fine for powering the TIU..

Any issue with the wall wart being DC out?  Does the TIU care?

I think I read in the "book" that a tiu would accept both ac and dc. 

Works fine on DC, that's what mine runs on here as I had a bunch of DC supplies that put out 18-20 volts from laptops.  I run our programming track TIU at the club on DC as well, same free laptop power supply source.

A new use for all those laptop power cords!!!!

Marty,

   You misunderstood my post the track wires would be removed from the old ZW and put on the new Wal Wart,  my wording must have been poor.  I just wanted to make sure I could use the ZW to power the new Santa Train without damaging it?  I really do not want to use a Wall Wart.  I will put the Scott 10 Amp breaker between the ZW Transformer and the track, If I need to get a 2A Breaker I will.  Marty the great thing about the DCS TIU is it is both AC & DC compatible, a serious piece of engineering.

PCRR/Dave