transformer help


B

bucky

New Member
hi and thanks for the free forum!

i have a lgb train. i purchased a large loco many years ago and now the kids are old enough for me to be willing to run this $1000+ behemoth for the first time this holiday. problem is the transformer is not large enough... i think?
what i have currently is only 1 amp. the loco and lighted cars require me to run the throttle at the max to have the train run at a relatively slow speed. in about five minutes the transformer over heats and shuts down.

so i have a predicament christmas is in 5 days and i have one low cost solution for a quickly had transformer, its the mrc tech 4 260. will this work with the lgb train and will the amperage be sufficient?

many thanks
bucky
 
I think you can run it with this but wait for the other guys to give a confirmation. I run HO not G. But this transfprmer you are talking about puts out 23VDC 18.5VAC and total output of 20VA....so I am think it can handle running it....maybe but from the looks of these transformers below the outputs are higher for G gauge...

but these are the reccomended power paks....for G gauge...

http://www.modelrectifier.com/train-controls/dc-power-high-power.asp


hope this helps....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
thanks for the response.

yep those would do it for sure. 10 amps is pretty heavy duty. way over kill for my needs. i guess what im really asking is... i have a 1 amp transformer that is not quite enough. the tech 4 is as you said "23VDC 18.5VAC and total output of 20VA" is that more power than my 1 amp lgb (m# 50081) stater set transformer? if so how much more power.... 2x 3x. im thinking 3 amps would be more than sufficient. im a bit confused that not all the transformers give an amperage rating. an the ones that do seem to be very expensive and not at the corner hobby store.
 
im guessing that it isnt enough power.....

am i figuring right that it would only be about .5 amps? im not a wiz with this stuff.
 
OK. i think i may have done the math wrong... i m thinking that the tech for would be about 4amp. am i right?

if so it will work for me?
 
the term va is Volt Amps which is the same as watts. To find out how many amps you have take the VA and divide it by the amount of volts to get amps
so 20VA divided by 23Volts DC equals .86amps which is less than one amp.
make sure the voltage you select is the correct one but I think 23/24 volts is correct. If you want to go to 2 amps then you'll need about a 45va supply.
Good Luck
 
Bucky, the 260 put out a little over one amp by my calculations. That's not enough power to run a G scale locomotive, particularly LGB, which operates at a higher voltage than normal DC HO equipment. Add to that the lighted cars and you're probably drawing 2 to 3 amps. The best powerpack I know of at the most reasonable price is the MRC 6200 (http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/product_p/500-aa222.htm). It is dual mode and has one mode that is specifically for LGB trains to supply the higher voltage needed. It's not cheap at $110 but inexpensive compared to most LGB compatible powerpacks. ModelTrainStuff has them in stock and is usually a very reliable supplier. You can pay extra for 2 day delivery and have it in your hands on Tuesday. If you have local train shops, you can call around and ask if any of them have the 6200 in stock but you'll pay a lot more even with two day shipping. Good luck.
 
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