I have been working on the layout plan below and am ordering the bench work. Thanks for all the great suggestions on planning a layout. The bridges on the top and bottom (diagonal) are lift out bridges. This should help in getting access to the middle of the layout. Plan is for the table to be about 38 inches high. 36 inches plus rolling casters. I have room to walk around the layout, if necessary.
I have been reading all the great information and advice on the forum, which has helped tremendously. Before I dive in totally, I need some assistance on the next steps.
The questions I now have relate to power, wiring and/or operation. All of the trains, will either be Lionel chief plus/2.0 plus or legacy. The one exception may be the little loop that will be a trolley or my first train as a kid that will operate on a 027 loop. I have a separate transformer for that loop.
I apologize if I have used some of the terms etc. incorrectly – I am totally new to the concept of command control but love the idea of making it easy to run. I also don’t recall that much from 9th grade electricity shop class. Haha.
In terms of power, plan is to use a new ZWL. I also have a KW transformer, which I will use for the small loop. Plan is to install Legacy base etc. and LCS Wi-Fi.
The first questions relate to the ZWL and how to set up. I figured out I need to set the transformer to command. The problem I am having is determining whether to use 1 or 4 channels and/or the assignment of tracks or trains with the legacy remote. From what I read, it seems that 4 channels would be the right choice. Channels A and D for two power bus loops set at 18v. Channels B and C for accessories set at 12v and 14v. Is this right? Where I get really confused is looking at the manual and on line vide when they mention the next choice being about assigning track or engines with Legacy. Any suggestions?
For power to the track, I will use 2 bus loops. The outer bus loop will cover the 2 outside tracks. The other bus will be for the reversing loops and spurs. Plan is to connect to a terminal strip and then to each loop every 6-8 feet? One terminal strip for Channel A and one for Channel D. Right?
Next questions concerns control of the accessories, through the Lionel acs 2 set to accessory control. Not sure if I understand the instructions and/or how to use. I know I need to power the asc2 from an external source – the instructions say separate accessory transformer. I plan to use separate acs2 for each voltage setting, using Channel B and C. Is this right or do I need a separate transformer for this purpose and can I connect the hot wire from either channel to the asc2 for power purposes?
The other question relates to the ground for the accessories. Is the proper way to do it is run a wire from the hot on the transformer to the asc2 (see above) and a ground bus wire around the track from the transformer, connecting the hot wire from the asc2 to each individual accessory and the ground from the accessory bus?
If I can get past theses step, I will likely install a BCP2 to isolate the spurs.
Thanks in advance…
