Power Drop Recommendations

Hi ROB,

  I have three loops on my layout and run power drops every 5 feet.  I never had any problems with the power distribution for the layout.  I run Legacy and DCS on my pike. The dimensions of my layout is 20feet x 16 feet, also have 9 switches on the one loop.  You can see my layout on Whistle Stop Wednesday Videos.  Hope this helps.

Use 5 this way - no section of track is less than 5 track joints away from a power drop.

Rob

Now that track diagram is what could be called a bunch of Wyes.  Reversing is no problem.
Charlie

@ADCX Rob posted:

Use 5 this way - no section of track is less than 5 track joints away from a power drop.

It looks like that shows more than 5 joints away. With this setup, I think I need 7 because I'd need drops at the top and bottom of both loops. Make sense?

Here's what I'd suggest.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Here's what I'd suggest.

This was my exact guess before making this post. I feel better now that that somebody much more savvy suggested it.

@Rob Greer posted:

It looks like that shows more than 5 joints away. With this setup, I think I need 7 because I'd need drops at the top and bottom of both loops. Make sense?

Pick any place on the layout...  every track piece is within 5 joints from a drop, 5 away is the max, 4 is the most common.

From another similar thread by the OP, this is a FasTrack Layout.  This track plan (maybe drawn in AnyRail) doesn't show 1-3/8" fitter pieces attached to the divergent ends of the Wyes.  If they are actually used on this layout, then there would be more track joints than shown in this plan.

Also with a FasTrack layout that is subject to repeated assembly and disassembly, the connections loosen and develop higher resistance at the track joints.  Either way, about 7 feeders as John suggested, may be a good idea, IMO.