I'm building the layout below for my kids and I. It's 5x9 in FasTrack with no elevated trestles to climb. Since it's pretty compact I doubt our engines will ever pull more than 3-5 cargo cars and we'll only be running one train. I do eventually plan to add several operating accessories - saw mill, log loader, culvert loader, gantry, etc. - and am a bit baffled at how to figure out what I'll need in terms of power. The Lionel site really doesn't give much advice in this. Right now we have the dinky PowerMax transformer that came with our starter set and I'm pretty sure that won't be enough.
Questions for you veterans out there:
1) Are there any simple guides on how to power a small sized layout? Most seem to focus more on large, multi-train layouts.
2) Any suggestions for a controller in the sub-$200 range? I do want a controller that will remember settings even after it's unplugged which the CW-80 doesn't do. This layout will be unplugged and moved when not in use.
3) Could I repurpose the PowerMax that came with our starter set to power operating accessories?
