VA rating on power pack

Do you mean 37VA?

0.37 VA is too small to run most anything.

Mike

Ray, is it really .37VA or is it 37VA. If the DC output voltage is 12V then .37VA is only 3/10 of an amp, which would run a can motor engine only but not pulling a lot of cars. If it is 37 then it is rated for 3A at 12V which would operate any can motor S gauge engine plus as many cars as you could couple behind it.

My goodness, my bad guys, I don't know why I had the decimal point in there but, you are correct, 37VA is what is on the powerpack. I may have been thinking with the decimal because it just wouldn't work with the low load we had. Makes me think of the saying full moon empty head but I can't even blame it on the full moon.

Ray

Often VA is used instead of watts to indicate the power delivery into a purely resistive load. Motors and non-incandescent lights are not purely resistive, so the capacity of the power supply will likely be reduced. It can probably only muster 25-30 watts.

In any event 37VA should be plenty to run an S scale engine with a can motor.

@Rayin"S" posted:

M37VA is what is on the powerpack..

That is not an insignificant power level, so there is more going on there that you may want to get an ammeter involved.

For perspective, Lionel starter sets came w/ 7.5, 15, 30, & 40 VA power for many years, the basic LionChief sets have 36VA supplies.

Has anyone here replaced the protection on one of these power packs?

Ray

Door chime/Door bell transformers are common at 15va.  There are larger transformers 30 va for larger door chimes.

A transformer (15va), if secondary voltage is 15 volts, it should draw no more than 1 amp.  ( a simple example, it can be a bit more complex).

@Rayin"S" posted:

Has anyone here replaced the protection on one of these power packs?

The factory breaker is probably labeled / non-proprietary , probably 2.5 amps, easy to source.

@Rayin"S" posted:

I hope I am asking the right question here.  We, the BSG, had our first open house last weekend in which we were able to run our modular club layout. We decided to run one track with AC power to operate American Flyer, both conventional and Legacy/TMCC locomotives and the second track to run S gauge scale DC powered locomotives. We powered the first track with a Lionel Powerhouse through a Powermaster. which presented no problems.

The second track loop was powered by an MRC powerpack the club had purchased previously, it was rated at .37 VA. The powerpack could only provide enough power for one locomotive to pull a few cars, if we added more than 5 or 6 cars the powerpack would shut down. If we tried to run with the single locomotive plus a lighted caboose it would also shut down. The locomotive was powered by a single can motor.  Does this sound as though our powerpack is defective or do we need a more powerful powerpack? I would have thought what was purchased would have been sufficient.

I am sorry but I do not have the powerpack with me to give a model number.

Ray

What did they do with there p&H 7 amp transformers?

Dave,

The packs that you mentioned were blown, one of the club members had an additional power source that he used in yards on his modules. He had those hooked up in the wrong polarity, up in smoke.

Ray