[marx490man]

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum and I am setting up a 1950s style layout 4 feet by 8 feet with 027 track. I just spent the whole day cleaning and buffing the track, thinking I had a bad connection somewhere, but I think there is something else that is wrong. The problem is: The current doesn't seem to be making it fully around the track {although testing with an ohm meter showed good consistent voltage through the range in all my track} causing there to be hardly any usable power directly across from my lock on and in the surrounding tracks. If it helps, the track takes up my 4x8' sheet of plywood out to the edges, because it's just a giant loop. My question is: What is going on here and what can I do about it? :dunno:
Thanks

 

[T-Man]

Welcome to the Forum!

What is you transformer? Compensate by adding more leads with the lock ons around the track.

 

[marx490man]

Thanks. My transformer is an old ZW.
I thought about adding more lockons but how do you do that without using up more terminals on the back of the transformer. I will need the other three terminals for two other tracks and a floodlight tower.

 

[T-Man]

You use the same terminals. The feed cuts the resistance from the track. The engine draws the current fom the source with the least resistance.

 

[Boston&Maine]

Mmm-hmm... It is not that the transformer is not putting out enough juice, it is just that the track, especially Lionel tubular track, is not all that efficient at conducting electricity because of all the joints... You could always get a board like these, that way you do not have like 100 wires feeding straight from the transformer...

I stole your picture B.C.RAIL

 

[T-Man]

Ugh you won't need that many.
But you will need 16 gage wire or better. The ZW will give you ample current.

 

[Boston&Maine]

Ugh you won't need that many.

Hey, who says you can not have a feed running to each individual piece of track :laugh:

If you are talking about the "100" I was being sarcastic; if you are talking about the image, I remembered seeing it on the bottom of the main forum page one day and was too lazy to search for another one with fewer terminals

 

[T-Man]

Sure, if you want it to look like a spider web instead of a RR.!:laugh:

 

[marx490man]

Where might I find a board like that to run a bunch of lock ons?

 

[T-Man]

Radio Shack.
Maybe Lowes or Home Depot in the cable section
One set should be fine. You can branch from there if you have too. The secret is 16 gage wire or better. Have any old speaker wire about?