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He'd encourage me to rewire the feeble transformer I now have. But I just don't think so...There's gotta be a better way!!!
I neophyte of HO railroading. I am in dire need of a transformer with enough amperage to run steam locomotives on a large layout. I might eventually run more than one train. What's a good way to go? How much should I spend? I will buy one today, as there's no way I'll receive UPS delivery prior to Santa sliding down my children's chimney.
I'd say an MRC 260 Tech 4 would handle just about anything, if you're not going with DCC right away.
Do you live close to a train-friendly hobby shop? If not, you're probably out of luck if you want a power pack by tomorrow evening. Of course, if $$$ isn't a problem, maybe you could get an online shop like MB Klein's to 'overnite' it to you via FedEx? In that situation you'd probably be paying more for shipping than for the item itself...
No, I don't think a new transformer is going to be arriving by tomorrow night unless you're lucky enough to have a train shop somewhere near you. Ken's recommendation is a good one for DC. However, you may want to consider the benefits DCC if you're running a large layout. There's a really good beginner's guide at http://www.tonystrainexchange.com/tonystips/dccprimer/index.htm. Although DCC may seem more expensive, I can tell you from experience that wiring blocks and using more than one powerpack to run two trains on a DC layout will ultimately cost you more in money and way more in frustration and strings of profanity.
ST, the MRC 6200 is a DC powerpack. Some DCC equipped engines will also run on DC but you may have to insert a dummy plug into the DCC decoder to "turn off' the DCC. Some DCC engines won't run on DC at all. What is the exact make and model of your DCC engine? As Chip said, you might be able to exchange the DC powerpack for a DCC command station. The Digitrax Zephyr starter set isn't much more than you paid for the powerpack.
