What will I need to operate this layout ?

[John]

personally, I would use one of the other power managers .. like the PSX .. I have aPM42, but they are slow ...

[jdcolombo]

personally, I would use one of the other power managers .. like the PSX .. I have aPM42, but they are slow ...

I use the PSX's on my layout.  Very fast and reliable.

John C.

[GaryHinshaw]

Very good advice here.  I like the track plan too - that should be a very nice layout for ops.  (Too bad about the signals though - I think signals are cool, and I'm really looking forward to getting them working on my pike.)

Don't want to hijack this thread, but I'm just about to place an order for circuit breakers and was leaning towards the lower end OG-CB's instead of PSX (both from DCC Specialties).  It seems the main difference is the accessory decoder that comes with the PSX, but the latter also has some configurable current limits.  If I don't want the decoder, am I missing anything important going with the cheaper OG's?  This decision was buoyed by bdennis' advice/experience in this old thread.

[jdcolombo]

Very good advice here.  I like the track plan too - that should be a very nice layout for ops.  (Too bad about the signals though - I think signals are cool, and I'm really looking forward to getting them working on my pike.)

Don't want to hijack this thread, but I'm just about to place an order for circuit breakers and was leaning towards the lower end OG-CB's instead of PSX (both from DCC Specialties).  It seems the main difference is the accessory decoder that comes with the PSX, but the latter also has some configurable current limits.  If I don't want the decoder, am I missing anything important going with the cheaper OG's?  This decision was buoyed by bdennis' advice/experience in this old thread.

I chose the PSX series because I have a lot of sound-equipped locos.  The PSX circuitry is (supposedly) better able to distinguish in-rush current for powering up sound decoders from a short than the OG series.  See the comparison chart here:

http://www.dccspecialties.com/products/psx_vs_onguard.htm

The PSX also has adjustable trip current, which can be important in some cases.  For example, the trip current of the OG is 4 amps; the Digitrax Zephyr, however, trips at 3 amps.  If you were going to use a Zephyr to power subdistricts, the OG wouldn't do much for you, because the Zephyr would trip before the OG.  With the PSX, you can set the trip current to something below 3 amps, meaning it will trip before the Zephyr, which is what you would want in this situation.   If you're powering the subdistricts with a 5-amp booster and don't have a bunch of sound units, however, the OG should be fine.

John C.

[GaryHinshaw]

If you're powering the subdistricts with a 5-amp booster and don't have a bunch of sound units, however, the OG should be fine.

This is exactly my situation: 5-amp boosters (DCS100 + DB150) and minimal sound.  Thank you for the well-articulated explanation.

[RBrodzinsky]

Lots of good advice above. I would put the circuit breakers and autoreverser in initially, going with the PSX devices, including the PSX-AR. Can still use the Zephyr until such time as power needs require the update.

If dedicating a small PC to JMRI and WiFi throttles, you might want to consider a Linux system. Keeps costs down.

[djconway]

My choice would be to use 2 PM42's -- don't overlook the fact that there is a Y that will need to be controlled.  Switches could be controlled by DS64's, and it would be nice not to shut down that part of the control system in the event of a short.