New member checking in

Welcome aboard Kevin!!!

Welcome aboard.  Looks like you're off to a great start.  Keep the momentum going.  I cannot help you with the transformer question.  I know there are others here who can do so without even trying hard.  Stay tuned.

Welcome!    

Welcome,  Kevin, that GG 1 is hauling a SERIOUS train!

That must be a 2340 or 2360 !

Awesome. all our collective best to you , your 90 year old  dad and the kids.

lots of fun to be had. Plus someone knowlegable in lionel wiring will step up to help I am sure. 

Keep up the good work

Leroof

First and foremost, WELCOME to the Forum! You will find a lot of great advice and how-to here. And we will be more than willing to help you climb that learning curve. We've all been there, done that (BTDT)!

Second, congratulations on having your 90 year old father help you with all of this! That is extremely impressive! (I wish my Dad was still around to help me!)

Third, it looks like you have a great start to the layout. Congratulations on identifying a space for a layout. That's always a tough one. I do have a question for you on it though. Give or take a bit, where are you located geographically? How hot or cold does it get in the attic? If either are major extremes, you may want to consider insulation and some lighting before you go much further. Unless this is a temporary setup and you are moving the layout elsewhere in the near future. I know summers and winters in the northeast can be really rough when you are in an uninsulated attic. (Don't ask me how I know this...) 

Fourth, to answer your question, on the ZW there is are 2 rings, one between the A handle and the B handle, the other between the C handle and the D handle. One each are a pair of black and a red marks. With all 4 handles down (no voltage) look where the zero marks are on each side. One will line up with the red, and the other with the black. Lets say the A handle line zero lines up with the red mark (could be the other way around). The B will line up with the black. Same thing on the other side. When you cross from one circuit to the other, just match the marks for the A and D handles. You might be off a bit, but you will be close enough not to have an issue. You will need insulating pins on the center rails of the crossovers. Whatever you do, DO NOT pull the insulating pins from the common rails of the switches! Those are needed to operate the non-derailing function of the switches. Depending on exactly what you want to do with train operation, a SPDT may or may not be necessary.

Fifth, what can you tell us about the green AA Alco diesels? 

Chris

LVHR

Leroof posted:

Welcome,  Kevin, that GG 1 is hauling a SERIOUS train!

That must be a 2340 or 2360 !

Awesome. all our collective best to you , your 90 year old  dad and the kids.

lots of fun to be had. Plus someone knowlegable in lionel wiring will step up to help I am sure. 

Keep up the good work

Leroof

Yes, it's a 2340. Unbelievable puller. Leaves my F3s in the dust. I can start with the engine on the steepest part of the grade (3.5%) from a dead stop pulling 30 cars, and it barely spins a wheel. It's truly a postwar marvel.

lehighline posted:

First and foremost, WELCOME to the Forum! You will find a lot of great advice and how-to here. And we will be more than willing to help you climb that learning curve. We've all been there, done that (BTDT)!

Second, congratulations on having your 90 year old father help you with all of this! That is extremely impressive! (I wish my Dad was still around to help me!)

Third, it looks like you have a great start to the layout. Congratulations on identifying a space for a layout. That's always a tough one. I do have a question for you on it though. Give or take a bit, where are you located geographically? How hot or cold does it get in the attic? If either are major extremes, you may want to consider insulation and some lighting before you go much further. Unless this is a temporary setup and you are moving the layout elsewhere in the near future. I know summers and winters in the northeast can be really rough when you are in an uninsulated attic. (Don't ask me how I know this...) 

Fourth, to answer your question, on the ZW there is are 2 rings, one between the A handle and the B handle, the other between the C handle and the D handle. One each are a pair of black and a red marks. With all 4 handles down (no voltage) look where the zero marks are on each side. One will line up with the red, and the other with the black. Lets say the A handle line zero lines up with the red mark (could be the other way around). The B will line up with the black. Same thing on the other side. When you cross from one circuit to the other, just match the marks for the A and D handles. You might be off a bit, but you will be close enough not to have an issue. You will need insulating pins on the center rails of the crossovers. Whatever you do, DO NOT pull the insulating pins from the common rails of the switches! Those are needed to operate the non-derailing function of the switches. Depending on exactly what you want to do with train operation, a SPDT may or may not be necessary.

Fifth, what can you tell us about the green AA Alco diesels? 

 

Chris

LVHR

Hi Chris - thanks for the warm welcome! I am in a very mild climate here in Central California on the coast, so short of putting in a dehumidifier for a couple of foggy months, I shouldn't need much else up there. I'll close off the vents at each end in the winter.

Great advice on the ZW - I was wondering if that were possible, but wasn't sure. I would be fine with that solution (and may go that route initially), but I worry about my two little ones running the trains and not  syncing up the voltages and causing some damage or worse, a fire. I like the idea of a solution that is a bit more foolproof, such as adding a toggle to run the whole mess from one side of the Z.. but I just don't exactly understand how to do it.

Thanks again and I look forward to tuning into the community!

Hi Kevin! welcome aboard, very cool attic layout, I'll bet you and your family will have a great time!.....one neat feature of this forum, up at the top you will see search in the tool bar, you can search topics such as your crossover question, and find the answers you are looking for that will best suite your particular application......oh, and I'm digging the tank car train in the back!....……………………...Pat

CoastsideKevin posted:

lehighline posted:

First and foremost, WELCOME to the Forum! You will find a lot of great advice and how-to here. And we will be more than willing to help you climb that learning curve. We've all been there, done that (BTDT)!

Second, congratulations on having your 90 year old father help you with all of this! That is extremely impressive! (I wish my Dad was still around to help me!)

Third, it looks like you have a great start to the layout. Congratulations on identifying a space for a layout. That's always a tough one. I do have a question for you on it though. Give or take a bit, where are you located geographically? How hot or cold does it get in the attic? If either are major extremes, you may want to consider insulation and some lighting before you go much further. Unless this is a temporary setup and you are moving the layout elsewhere in the near future. I know summers and winters in the northeast can be really rough when you are in an uninsulated attic. (Don't ask me how I know this...) 

Fourth, to answer your question, on the ZW there is are 2 rings, one between the A handle and the B handle, the other between the C handle and the D handle. One each are a pair of black and a red marks. With all 4 handles down (no voltage) look where the zero marks are on each side. One will line up with the red, and the other with the black. Lets say the A handle line zero lines up with the red mark (could be the other way around). The B will line up with the black. Same thing on the other side. When you cross from one circuit to the other, just match the marks for the A and D handles. You might be off a bit, but you will be close enough not to have an issue. You will need insulating pins on the center rails of the crossovers. Whatever you do, DO NOT pull the insulating pins from the common rails of the switches! Those are needed to operate the non-derailing function of the switches. Depending on exactly what you want to do with train operation, a SPDT may or may not be necessary.

Fifth, what can you tell us about the green AA Alco diesels? 

 

Chris

LVHR

Hi Chris - thanks for the warm welcome! I am in a very mild climate here in Central California on the coast, so short of putting in a dehumidifier for a couple of foggy months, I shouldn't need much else up there. I'll close off the vents at each end in the winter.

Great advice on the ZW - I was wondering if that were possible, but wasn't sure. I would be fine with that solution (and may go that route initially), but I worry about my two little ones running the trains and not  syncing up the voltages and causing some damage or worse, a fire. I like the idea of a solution that is a bit more foolproof, such as adding a toggle to run the whole mess from one side of the Z.. but I just don't exactly understand how to do it.

Thanks again and I look forward to tuning into the community!

Oh, about the green Alcos - funny you should mention that as that just happened today. Last week I got my absolute all time favorite Alco 2023s back from servicing, and I had a set of scrap shells lying around. I asked my 5 year old son if he wanted his own train now, and of course he said yes! So I told him he could have any color he wanted, and he chose green. The only color green spray paint I had was what I used on the layout, moss green. So moss green he got, and he loves it! My daughter wants a purple train, so my scrap shells for my 2343 F3s are about to turn lavender! Will have to post a picture of that, too.. haha.

harmonyards posted:

Hi Kevin! welcome aboard, very cool attic layout, I'll bet you and your family will have a great time!.....one neat feature of this forum, up at the top you will see search in the tool bar, you can search topics such as your crossover question, and find the answers you are looking for that will best suite your particular application......oh, and I'm digging the tank car train in the back!....……………………...Pat

Thank you, Pat. That's a brand new-to-me 675 pulling the tanks with ease. Lovin' it! I feel like a kid again!

CoastsideKevin posted:

lehighline posted:

Fourth, to answer your question, on the ZW there is are 2 rings, one between the A handle and the B handle, the other between the C handle and the D handle. One each are a pair of black and a red marks. With all 4 handles down (no voltage) look where the zero marks are on each side. One will line up with the red, and the other with the black. Lets say the A handle line zero lines up with the red mark (could be the other way around). The B will line up with the black. Same thing on the other side. When you cross from one circuit to the other, just match the marks for the A and D handles. You might be off a bit, but you will be close enough not to have an issue. You will need insulating pins on the center rails of the crossovers. Whatever you do, DO NOT pull the insulating pins from the common rails of the switches! Those are needed to operate the non-derailing function of the switches. Depending on exactly what you want to do with train operation, a SPDT may or may not be necessary.

Chris

LVHR

Great advice on the ZW - I was wondering if that were possible, but wasn't sure. I would be fine with that solution (and may go that route initially), but I worry about my two little ones running the trains and not  syncing up the voltages and causing some damage or worse, a fire. I like the idea of a solution that is a bit more foolproof, such as adding a toggle to run the whole mess from one side of the Z.. but I just don't exactly understand how to do it.

Thanks again and I look forward to tuning into the community!

Kevin, I also welcome you to this Forum, which has been a source of joy, happiness and valuable information since I joined it one year ago.

One comment about your idea of adding a toggle to run both loops of track "from one side of the Z,"  I believe if you do that, one drawback would be that you won't be able to independently control the 2 trains, one on the inner loop, and the other on the outer loop, of track. 

I have a 25 year old conventional layout with tubular track and 022 switches, and 2 loops of track interconnected with switches in two different locations. Each loop is independently controlled, one from the A Post, and the other from the D Post, of a ZW, and I use fiber pins at the point between the switches where the 2 loops meet.

When I am running one train through the switches where the 2 loops meet, I set the voltage so its approximately the same on each loop, and I have never had a problem. Be that as it may, I can certainly understand your concern when young children are running the trains, especially if there may be occasions that you are not supervising them.  Arnold

Remarkable your 90-year-old father is willing and able to collaborate in the effort.  You're a lucky guy, and he must have lived right and/or possessed some long telomeres.

What, me worry?

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

CoastsideKevin posted:

lehighline posted:

Fourth, to answer your question, on the ZW there is are 2 rings, one between the A handle and the B handle, the other between the C handle and the D handle. One each are a pair of black and a red marks. With all 4 handles down (no voltage) look where the zero marks are on each side. One will line up with the red, and the other with the black. Lets say the A handle line zero lines up with the red mark (could be the other way around). The B will line up with the black. Same thing on the other side. When you cross from one circuit to the other, just match the marks for the A and D handles. You might be off a bit, but you will be close enough not to have an issue. You will need insulating pins on the center rails of the crossovers. Whatever you do, DO NOT pull the insulating pins from the common rails of the switches! Those are needed to operate the non-derailing function of the switches. Depending on exactly what you want to do with train operation, a SPDT may or may not be necessary.

Chris

LVHR

Great advice on the ZW - I was wondering if that were possible, but wasn't sure. I would be fine with that solution (and may go that route initially), but I worry about my two little ones running the trains and not  syncing up the voltages and causing some damage or worse, a fire. I like the idea of a solution that is a bit more foolproof, such as adding a toggle to run the whole mess from one side of the Z.. but I just don't exactly understand how to do it.

Thanks again and I look forward to tuning into the community!

Kevin, I also welcome you to this Forum, which has been a source of joy, happiness and valuable information since I joined it one year ago.

One comment about your idea of adding a toggle to run both loops of track "from one side of the Z,"  I believe if you do that, one drawback would be that you won't be able to independently control the 2 trains, one on the inner loop, and the other on the outer loop, of track. 

I have a 25 year old conventional layout with tubular track and 022 switches, and 2 loops of track interconnected with switches in two different locations. Each loop is independently controlled, one from the A Post, and the other from the D Post, of a ZW, and I use fiber pins at the point between the switches where the 2 loops meet.

When I am running one train through the switches where the 2 loops meet, I set the voltage so its approximately the same on each loop, and I have never had a problem. Be that as it may, I can certainly understand your concern when young children are running the trains, especially if there may be occasions that you are not supervising them.  Arnold

Thank you, Arnold. Glad you hear you have successfully used that system to transfer between loops, too. I think the idea with the toggle is that you set it up so one side of the Z controls both districts for only as long as it takes for the entire train to crossover. Then, toggle to the other side and you’re back in two train, manual control mode. 

By the way, I have been watching all the activity on your thread Postwar Paradise and very much enjoying it. That’s what I came here for! Will also try to post a little video to add to the fun. 

All best wishes,

Kevin

Welcome Kevin and your father!

great use of your attic and hopefully two sets of kneepads!  

Welcome and have fun!

Welcome Kevin. Love the attic floor layout. That is one seriously long train behind the GG-1.
Great stuff.

Bob

I join the guys in welcoming you, Kevin.

I love attic layouts. Agree with Chris about how to set up and run trains through your crossover.  I still have my two remaining conventional lines set up that way.  The lowest two levels in this pic show the conventional lines that run through two more rooms.  They are insulated against each other.

These are a few pics of my old attic layout.  In CT, it was cold in mid-winter and hot in mid-summer.  Thirty years ago, I didn't seem to mind.  I also didn't mind that the table of nine four by eights was only two feet high, to save on the supporting two by fours.  There was a LOT of crawling around in those days.  This one was also done with a lot of help from my father, who had constructed two layouts in our old house.  It was 22 years between this one and those two.

Best wished for your new project, and keep us posted.

Jerry

Welcome! I know you live in CA, but what would your yearly indoor temperature range be in your attic?

JerryG posted:

I join the guys in welcoming you, Kevin.

I love attic layouts. Agree with Chris about how to set up and run trains through your crossover.  I still have my two remaining conventional lines set up that way.  The lowest two levels in this pic show the conventional lines that run through two more rooms.  They are insulated against each other.

These are a few pics of my old attic layout.  In CT, it was cold in mid-winter and hot in mid-summer.  Thirty years ago, I didn't seem to mind.  I also didn't mind that the table of nine four by eights was only two feet high, to save on the supporting two by fours.  There was a LOT of crawling around in those days.  This one was also done with a lot of help from my father, who had constructed two layouts in our old house.  It was 22 years between this one and those two.

Best wished for your new project, and keep us posted.

Jerry

Thanks so much, Jerry. I love seeing all these pictures. Your current layout is so cool! How many rooms in the house does it span?

Joe Hohmann posted:

Welcome! I know you live in CA, but what would your yearly indoor temperature range be in your attic?

It is in the 50s and 60s pretty much all year, day and night. In the summers, we get fog so that keeps things mild. Our warmer seasons are spring and fall. For the last few weeks, lows in the mid 50s and highs in the mid to upper 60s.

Kevin please let us know when you have this cross over accomplished! With video!

Thanks Kevin,

The table layout spans three rooms.  Hardly to scale, it's only a toy train layout.  I run seven full trains and two trolleys at the same time.  It's powered by 2 ZW's, a Z4000, and a CW80 for one of the trolleys.  As you'll see from this post, I like lots and lots of trains.

This rather poorly done video shows my "Santa Fe" room.  I wanted to make the bridges with the Santa Fe colors.

This short video is taken from the middle room.

I built this one nearly four years ago, when I retired from teaching.  The poker group loves watching the trains go by.  One ZW, four MTH engines, and DCS.

Hope you like them and get some ideas from them.  Again, keep us posted on your progress.  You will find most of the guys love trains as much as I do.

Jerry

John d Sewell posted:

Kevin please let us know when you have this cross over accomplished! With video!

I will certainly do that, John. Spent all day laying track. The east side of the inner loop is connected after a mammoth workout for my Dremel. Lots of Gargraves to cut. 

JerryG posted:

Thanks Kevin,

The table layout spans three rooms.  Hardly to scale, it's only a toy train layout.  I run seven full trains and two trolleys at the same time.  It's powered by 2 ZW's, a Z4000, and a CW80 for one of the trolleys.  As you'll see from this post, I like lots and lots of trains.

This rather poorly done video shows my "Santa Fe" room.  I wanted to make the bridges with the Santa Fe colors.

This short video is taken from the middle room.

I built this one nearly four years ago, when I retired from teaching.  The poker group loves watching the trains go by.  One ZW, four MTH engines, and DCS.

Hope you like them and get some ideas from them.  Again, keep us posted on your progress.  You will find most of the guys love trains as much as I do.

Jerry

Wow, Jerry. That is amazing! I love it and it gives me so many ideas to dream about. For now my attic layout, while having a fair amount of square footage, will be pretty simple and manual. Two trains is about all I can handle. I’m also just that kind of guy: I don’t like my car turning my headlights on for me, I like to turn the knob myself! I don’t like foam coming out of the soap dispenser, I like to grab a bar and lather up on my own. Too many things are done for us these days. When did all that change? But I digress... your setup is truly spectacular. Thank you for sharing the great pictures and videos. 

Kevin 

By some miracle, I actually laid all the track for the inner loop and switch yard yesterday. Had a little celebration driving in the Golden Spike.

Today hook up power and clean a lot of track!

Progress is good!

Welcome to the forum and good luck. 

Interesting story above about painting those Alcos green. Two years ago Lionel released these (see below). They were issued as sort of a long lost AA set that was planned but never made. Idea was they would pull the popular 2400 passenger cars.

Hello Kevin and welcome to a very good set of forums here at OGR.

That is so cool that you and your NINETY YEAR OLD dad can still enjoy trains together!! Having your kids enjoy it with you two is frosting. What a great time in your life. I'm sure you are savoring the moments. You are building a lifetime of memories in you and those young'ins!

In my opinion you have made an excellent choice: You simply can't go wrong with the simplicity and robustness of Postwar type trains in view of hassle free operation and reliability. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the essence miniature trains than good ol' PW type electric trains.

Andre

johnstrains posted:

Welcome to the forum and good luck. 

Interesting story above about painting those Alcos green. Two years ago Lionel released these (see below). They were issued as sort of a long lost AA set that was planned but never made. Idea was they would pull the popular 2400 passenger cars.

 

Oh, that is super interesting. I love the 2400 series cars and have been hoarding them on eBay lately. I like LONG trains, and the 2023 can't get a big string of them up my grade, but I have a number of bigger locos that do just fine. So fun to play!

laming posted:

Hello Kevin and welcome to a very good set of forums here at OGR.

That is so cool that you and your NINETY YEAR OLD dad can still enjoy trains together!! Having your kids enjoy it with you two is frosting. What a great time in your life. I'm sure you are savoring the moments. You are building a lifetime of memories in you and those young'ins!

In my opinion you have made an excellent choice: You simply can't go wrong with the simplicity and robustness of Postwar type trains in view of hassle free operation and reliability. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the essence miniature trains than good ol' PW type electric trains.

Andre

Thank you, Andre. This forum has been very helpful as I started unpacking boxes and faced the daunting task of building what would have been my dream layout as a kid. That my dad has been able to see this rekindled interest has been very rewarding indeed. Having a great time!

Kevin

The golden spike pose. One of those opportunity photo times.

I've been there.

I actually looked 360 degrees for someone to share the joy!

I appreciate you sharing your photos from across the this continent Kevin!  I think this technology is so 😎cool!

John d. 

In east Kentucky

CoastsideKevin posted:

johnstrains posted:

Welcome to the forum and good luck. 

Interesting story above about painting those Alcos green. Two years ago Lionel released these (see below). They were issued as sort of a long lost AA set that was planned but never made. Idea was they would pull the popular 2400 passenger cars.

 

Oh, that is super interesting. I love the 2400 series cars and have been hoarding them on eBay lately. I like LONG trains, and the 2023 can't get a big string of them up my grade, but I have a number of bigger locos that do just fine. So fun to play!

Kevin, got big grades? good reason to buy more 2023 power units! lash them up and fight that grade head on!!!!!!…………………….Pat

Welcome to the forum Kevin. I am 88 and I am still running trains. Unusual to see someone on the west coast running a GG1. You must have been originally from the east coast, or am I wrong? The GG1 is my favorite engine.

I've heard of the block issue, but never experienced any issue. 

  Gramps ran 4 ZWs (and a fith hot rodded to #1 for running ABBBA-7 motors and up to 24 lit cars... but I was too young to learn how to do that )  I had a KW that II used (& phased.. important with two!) with all kinds of smaller units. Today Ive done similar with pre war Z running 4 blocks, a KW on a fith block. No issues so far over about 6 years.

I'd fuse your outputs or use an electromagnetic breaker on each. Current being amps, a fuse or lower amp inline breaker limits the max amps that can pass. A ZW can push up to 15amp to one throttle for a count to ten! (you can just about weld with it)

You likely wont use that. A 7a-9a peak (not even a constant) is more like it on one throttle, with your largest 2 motor loco pulling lit pass. cars.   Measure your draw and fuse accordingly, keeping it as low as you can without blowing is prudent.

(Lionel made one post war, I don't recall the number, but search with "electromagnetic breaker" and look for posts by CW.) 

  The internal breakers protect the TRANSFORMER, not the track, accessories, trains, kids etc..(it does to some extent, but it's not really the goal there)   Fuses and/or breakers on each line are better. No scarry current beyond what you fuse at. It simply can happen.

  Another way would be track detectection before and after another isolated block..(3 total; 2 big,+ 1 transition block). The triggers pull a relay that switches which power terminal to use.  When fully past a trigger, the 3rd section switches to the upcomming power input. Hard to do at times, the transition block must be long.

Come to think of it, there is one thing that these blocks can cook easily.  Bulbs and even thin wire in cars with two rollers. The time of the bridge is too long. A poly-fuse to equal bulb draw is a fix. Two placed between rollers and bulbs in each such car can cure that. (a modern very fast acting, very fast self resetting fuse).   Because of the reset speed, do not use these poly fuses as you would a normal fuse.

( also, some techs call breakers fuses in discussion because the two are mostly interchangeable unless you are being specific; usually for the choice; and thats usually apparent. As a verb I use "fuse" most often)

I hope This makes sense because "google-spellwreck and "vindictive text" has kept me at this lone post for near two hours..... hardly three words without it screwing up or changing a line I can't see anyamore ... like what IS "anyamore" anyhow? The features are off too   I.e. I need a break and won't reread it before posting.

oh, I know one think I forgot.  The internal breaker is thermal. An electromagnetic is much faster than even you could be with a hand on the power strip full time.

harmonyards posted:

CoastsideKevin posted:

johnstrains posted:

Welcome to the forum and good luck. 

Interesting story above about painting those Alcos green. Two years ago Lionel released these (see below). They were issued as sort of a long lost AA set that was planned but never made. Idea was they would pull the popular 2400 passenger cars.

 

Oh, that is super interesting. I love the 2400 series cars and have been hoarding them on eBay lately. I like LONG trains, and the 2023 can't get a big string of them up my grade, but I have a number of bigger locos that do just fine. So fun to play!

Kevin, got big grades? good reason to buy more 2023 power units! lash them up and fight that grade head on!!!!!!…………………….Pat

I never knew that was even a possibility! Is it fairly easy to do? Don't the motors have to be synced up somehow? Would love to learn how!

eddie g posted:

Welcome to the forum Kevin. I am 88 and I am still running trains. Unusual to see someone on the west coast running a GG1. You must have been originally from the east coast, or am I wrong? The GG1 is my favorite engine.

Hi Eddie,

Thank you for your note. I am born and bred in California, but I appreciate excellence, and the GG1 is unsurpassed in many ways. When I was a kid, the guy who mentored me said no layout is complete without a GG1. My dad splurged for one (must have been a big chunk of change in the late 1970s) and I have loved it ever since.

Nice to meet you.

Kevin

Adriatic posted:

I've heard of the block issue, but never experienced any issue. 

  Gramps ran 4 ZWs (and a fith hot rodded to #1 for running ABBBA-7 motors and up to 24 lit cars... but I was too young to learn how to do that )  I had a KW that II used (& phased.. important with two!) with all kinds of smaller units. Today Ive done similar with pre war Z running 4 blocks, a KW on a fith block. No issues so far over about 6 years.

I'd fuse your outputs or use an electromagnetic breaker on each. Current being amps, a fuse or lower amp inline breaker limits the max amps that can pass. A ZW can push up to 15amp to one throttle for a count to ten! (you can just about weld with it)

You likely wont use that. A 7a-9a peak (not even a constant) is more like it on one throttle, with your largest 2 motor loco pulling lit pass. cars.   Measure your draw and fuse accordingly, keeping it as low as you can without blowing is prudent.

(Lionel made one post war, I don't recall the number, but search with "electromagnetic breaker" and look for posts by CW.) 

  The internal breakers protect the TRANSFORMER, not the track, accessories, trains, kids etc..(it does to some extent, but it's not really the goal there)   Fuses and/or breakers on each line are better. No scarry current beyond what you fuse at. It simply can happen.

  Another way would be track detectection before and after another isolated block..(3 total; 2 big,+ 1 transition block). The triggers pull a relay that switches which power terminal to use.  When fully past a trigger, the 3rd section switches to the upcomming power input. Hard to do at times, the transition block must be long.

Come to think of it, there is one thing that these blocks can cook easily.  Bulbs and even thin wire in cars with two rollers. The time of the bridge is too long. A poly-fuse to equal bulb draw is a fix. Two placed between rollers and bulbs in each such car can cure that. (a modern very fast acting, very fast self resetting fuse).   Because of the reset speed, do not use these poly fuses as you would a normal fuse.

( also, some techs call breakers fuses in discussion because the two are mostly interchangeable unless you are being specific; usually for the choice; and thats usually apparent. As a verb I use "fuse" most often)

I hope This makes sense because "google-spellwreck and "vindictive text" has kept me at this lone post for near two hours..... hardly three words without it screwing up or changing a line I can't see anyamore ... like what IS "anyamore" anyhow? The features are off too   I.e. I need a break and won't reread it before posting.

Wow, that must have been an incredible sight to see that train. You must have had some serious real estate to run a rig like that. Many good ideas about fuses, breakers and blocks. I have plenty of homework to do, but this is very helpful to set me in the right direction.

I know it sounds a little silly, but I am giddy tonight because I got my inner loop working and ran two trains on my layout for the first time ever. It has been a long time coming! I'll post some video a bit later.

Thank you again for taking the time to help me out. This forum is great!

Best wishes,

Kevin

Well everyone, it has been a big day on the railroad. I worked for two days straight to lay the track, run the power to my inner loop, and clean 30 years of rust off another 100 feet of Gargraves. But tonight it paid off in spades!

I cant tell you how excited I am to run two trains at the same time for the first time on my own layout. I have lots of work left to do, but just getting to this point and being able to show my kids and my dad.. it is beyond words. 

Thanks to all the wisdom on this forum, I made good progress and the one time I tried the crossover with the 41 Army switcher, it seemed to work just fine.  I’ll experiment with it more tomorrow. In the meanwhile, enjoy these two very short videos I took on the inaugural lap. 

Looks great, lots of track and places for the train to go.

Longer videos, please.  We want to see those baby's make their complete runs at least once.  There is a maximum of 100m for a direct attachment.  Normally, about 50 seconds.  Longer videos require youtube links.  If you need help on how to do it, the guys will be happy to oblige...

Jerry