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I have a K-Line O Scale caboose that I purchased a couple of pieces of straight track (3 rail) for a display. I'd like to power it as it lights and smokes. Is a 9V battery sufficient for the occasional power? Will a 9V drive the light and the smoke unit?
An easier solution might be using a cheap train set or accessory power pack - We've had a few oval n' train sets sent to us by loving relatives over the years, so we're using 2 of those to power some lights on our HO layout. Perhaps they can be found cheaply at an LHS or on ebay.
You could also use one of those wall-wart transformers (the box transformers that power cordless phone hubs etc). You could probably find one with the proper voltage, though they tend to lack a bit in amperage. I don't imagine you'd need much for a few light bulbs and a smoke unit. (I don't know if the 3-rail car requires AC, but you could easily pull the diodes out of the wall wart or get an AC one if it did.)
Thanks all. I'd love to be able to do a wall-wart, just not sure what the minimum voltage/current requirements are. I'll stop by my LHS this weekend and see what the outputs are on the power supplies for O scale.
