TMCC and conventional with TPC 300

Artie,

1.) That "cable to plug into a house outlet" is going to be important.  It has a three-prong power plug and so needs a grounded wall outlet.  If you don't connect the ground, say because you used a generic replacement cable that didn't have the ground pin and you want to run TMCC locos, you won't get a good radio signal to the them and they won't operate well.  The good news here is it sounds like you don't plan on running TMCC locos in the near future.  Nevertheless I would still recommend investing in the proper power cable in case someday you wish to run them too.

2.) However, even more important is the cable needed between the command base and the TPC.  Without this you can't control track voltage using the command set handheld.  You'll be looking for a 6-14192 Serial Cable to connect the TPC to the Command Base in order for commands to be transmitted and received. Then you'll also need a 6-12194 Power Cable, or even better a homemade equivalent which could be a simple pair of wires between the output screw terminals on the MRC 270 and the input screw terminals on the TPC (as in the diagram).  This will connect your MRC 270 to the TPC so that it can provide the AC power needed on the tracks in order to run the loco.

This diagram will help, if you replace the TMCC Powerhouse shown at the top with your MRC 270:

3.)  This existing TMCC CAB-1 and Command Base set will be more than sufficient to control the TPC properly and run conventional equipment, and even TMCC if desired.  If you'd like though you can invest in a CAB-1L and Base 1L but it will get you nothing extra with your conventional locos than what you already have unless you plan on running Legacy locos as well in the future.

Good luck and good running.

Mike

Thanks, Mike. Ye, I figured I’d have to get the three prong cable to get good ground. In addition to the TPC 300, I got the cable for hooking it up to the command base. If I can’t find the command base cable to plug in an outlet, I might invest in a Cab/Base 1 L. I like the idea of walk around control.

Take care, Artie

Artie,

If you can't find the 3-prong power supply, a 2-prong 12vac 100ma power supply will work to power the CAB-1 base.  (sorry, I don't have the barrel connector size handy).

The lack of the third prong means the TMCC RF signal out to locomotives will be missing its ground plane component.  You don't need RF for conventional control because the TPC300 uses the serial output from the base, not the RF signal.  Just plug the 6-14192 serial cable into the base and connect the leads to the TPC.

If you want to run a TMCC loco in command mode, then you need to get a ground plane signal out to your layout.  That signal is available from pin 5 of the CAB-1 base serial port and from the ground wire (green) of the 6-14192 serial cable.  This thread discusses how to wire the pin-5 output to your house wiring ground.  An alternative way to provide a ground plane for your 5x9 layout is to run a wire from the TPC's green wire terminal around the perimeter of your layout.

Artie, It was great meeting you yesterday. If you see any Legacy Locomotives in your future, I would spend the extra money and get the Lionel 990 Command set. It will allow you to do what you want with the TPC 300 for conventional, run Legacy and Lionchief 2+. You won’t regret it.  John

Thanks, John! I will consider the 990 Command set, as I just purchased the Polar Express with Lionchief, and it’s fun to run!

Take care, and it was nice meeting you both, yesterday.

Artie, If it  is Lionchief Plus 2.0  you would be good to go.  I have the 0-6-0T with Lionchief Plus 2 and it works great with the Legacy remote. John

Thanks, again, John! I’ll keep you posted.

Artie