Lionel ZW-L Transformers & DCS

Hi Mordrid,

The ZW-L's work just fine with DCS and PS2 or PS3 engines.  The ZW-L is a chopped wave transformer.  PS2 and PS3 engines run great on either chopped sine wave or pure sine wave transformers.  You will want to run in command mode to get the most from your engines.  Follow the instructions in Barry's book for setting your track power connections.  For you first setup you will probably want to run power from the transformer to fixed channel 1.  This is the simplest configuration when you're first getting going.  Set the ZW-L to 18 volts and you should be good to go.  On PS2 engines you will hear a relay click inside the engine when you first apply power but the lights and sounds will stay off until commanded to start from the DCS remote.  Follow the instructions in the DCS manual to load your first engine.  I HIGHLY recommend setting up a simple loop of track to do your first test run with DCS.  This lets you get up and running without any hassle so you can see how DCS should work.  Once you're familiar with the system and have a couple engines loaded into the remote you can move DCS over to your larger layout.

You really should stick to one thread for a topic, posting duplicates is frowned on as a rule.  The DCS forum was the correct place to post this query.

Thanks for the heads up John! It was my first post ever in a forum and I wasn't real sure of the process or if I was in the right area or not. Will try hard to get it right as I'm finding all of you most helpful as I gain knowledge of this hobby.  

No problem, I figured I should mention it before a thread disappeared and you wondered why.