What will I need to operate this layout ?

[mu26aeh]

While I'm building my layout, the CSX Hanover Subdivision 2.0, I'm trying to get everything in order so I know what I will need.  I have sent a few pm's to members here asking what they use for similar size layouts but figured I'd open it up to the whole to get more information.  Here is the layout plan, room size is approx 11' x 21' .


AHenry_v2_1 by mu26aeh, on Flickr

I currently own a Digitrax Zephyr with 2 UT4 throttles and a UP5 loconet panel.  I only own one sound unit (if it shows up from Intermountain, SD40-2) but I don't plan on adding too many sound units at this time.  Trains will usually consist of 2-3 power units, I plan on have 1-2 for yard duties and another 1-2 for the paper mill.  Operations will mainly be a local freight switching industries as it travels across the sub, maybe holding on a siding for a detoured thru freight or passenger train, with someone working the yard and another working the paper mill and duties in Hanover.  So at most 3 operators.  I imagine I will need an auto reverser for the wye at Porters Sideling.  I do not plan on powering the turnouts for DCC control, instead using slide switches for ones close to edge or maybe a knob/wire assembly for ones in the back like in the staging areas.

[John]

I think min ..

1 DB150 since you already have the zephyr --
put a UP5 at each major town ..
I would recommend radio if you can swing it ..

then signals   so wire for block detection before closing it up if you want to go that route ..

[mu26aeh]

then signals   so wire for block detection before closing it up if you want to go that route ..

Fortunately, in real life, this sub does not have any signals between Hagerstown and Baltimore.  It's dark territory, relying on radio traffic with Jacksonville, FL. There are two lengthy sidings, one at Gettysburg and one at Hanover behind the Utz plant that could be used for meets, but other then that, it's all single track pretty much.  I wasn't planning on doing signals at this point. 

[John]

you could probably do the whole thing with your Zephyr, and a couple of plug in throttles then .. except you said you wanted to use sound .. thats why I recommend the extra booster ..

[seusscaboose]

Be sure you use redundant power on the UP5 panels
 

[mu26aeh]

Be sure you use redundant power on the UP5 panels
 

Not sure how to interpret that   

[John]

Not sure how to interpret that 

Inside joke ..   last ops session at my house, I had not connected the UPs up to a power source, and the loconet started to fail when 10 guys all plugged throttles in

[mu26aeh]

Inside joke ..   last ops session at my house, I had not connected the UPs up to a power source, and the loconet started to fail when 10 guys all plugged throttles in

I figured that's what it was, but wasn't sure 

[jdcolombo]

I know this is going to sound like overkill, but I'd use two boosters (one of the boosters could be the Zephyr; I'm assuming you can add a booster to a Zephyr-based system) and five power districts for this layout.   The power districts would be as follows:

1.  Staging Yard
2.  Solo Cup to Porters Sideling
3.  Hanover to Security
4.  Hagerstown Yard
5.  York Spring/Grove, including the wye.  This power district would be served by an auto-reversing circuit breaker board.

One booster to serve Hagerstown to Hanover and York Spring; the other to serve the staging yard and track to Porters Sidling.

Why do I recommend this?  First, having five power districts will make finding shorts a lot simpler, and it will insure that when one of your operators shorts the track doing switching in one spot, it doesn't shut down the whole layout.  Plus if you design the layout with five power districts to begin with, then it is easy to add boosters later on if you acquire more engines (particularly sound-equipped ones).   The time to future-proof your layout is in the construction stage, not after it is finished!

Why two boosters?  Notice I've split them between the two main yards (the staging yard and Hagerstown) and among the switching areas.   The two yards will be a focal point of engines; you'll end up with a lot of them sitting in the yards, and splitting the yards along with the switching areas means you'll have plenty of power for these areas as you add motive power (again, particularly with sound).

The five power districts means you would need three circuit breaker boards (at least one should be an auto-reverser) in addition to your Zephyr and a DB150 booster.  I echo the suggestion to put a UP5 panel at each switching area, and one in the middle of each yard area.   Wireless operation would be nice; but if you have a home WiFi network, rather than invest in Digitrax wireless, you might want to consider using a PR3 connected to an old computer running JMRI's Decoder Pro and using the WiFi Throttle interface provided by JMRI.  The WiThrottle app for iPhones is pretty slick, as is the Android version (which has a different name that I can't now recall).   Most folks have an old computer lying around somewhere, and if you don't you can usually buy one cheap.  If you don't have an old smartphone lying around, you can pick up used Android phones for next to nothing; they don't need to be authorized on a phone network to run the WiFI throttle app, as long as they can connect to your WiFi network.  I run my system off an older laptop running Win 7 with a couple of iPhone 4's as throttles; the WiFi throttles are actually more responsive than the Digitrax radio throttles I have, and don't lose their radio connection as sometimes happens with the Digitrax throttles.   You can probably put this whole WiFi system with a couple of old smartphones together for less than a single Digitrax radio receiver and radio throttle.

Nice layout design, by the way - it ought to be a lot of fun to run!

John C.

[ristooch]

The Andriod throttle app is called Engine Driver, at it is pretty slick. It is free, first of all. It lets you run up to 3 engines or consists from one Andriod device.

[jdcolombo]

The Andriod throttle app is called Engine Driver, at it is pretty slick. It is free, first of all. It lets you run up to 3 engines or consists from one Andriod device.

Free, eh?  Hmmm.  The app for my Apple phones cost $10, if I remember correctly.   Still a lot cheaper than either a wireless DT402 or UT4, particularly if you want duplex radio.  The WiFi apps are duplex by nature (no plugging in to select or release an engine).   Honestly, for anyone with a good home WiFi network, the JMRI/PR3/old smartphone combo makes a lot more sense than investing in a Digitrax duplex radio receiver and throttles.  The only downside is that the phone throttle apps don't have a knob, which I know some folks prefer. 

John C.

[mu26aeh]

I know this is going to sound like overkill, but I'd use two boosters (one of the boosters could be the Zephyr; I'm assuming you can add a booster to a Zephyr-based system) and five power districts for this layout.   The power districts would be as follows:

1.  Staging Yard
2.  Solo Cup to Porters Sideling
3.  Hanover to Security
4.  Hagerstown Yard
5.  York Spring/Grove, including the wye.  This power district would be served by an auto-reversing circuit breaker board.

Nice layout design, by the way - it ought to be a lot of fun to run!

John C.

So would I be able to do this via a Digitrax PM42 ?  In addition to a DB150 ?  If I do split it into districts.

[jdcolombo]

Yes.

I'd use the DB150 to power the PM42 and its 4 districts; then use the Zephyr to power the fifth district.

If you add motive power (particularly sound units) you can later decide to add boosters to power any of the 4 subdistricts of the PM42. 

One last thing you might consider is getting a DB200 (an 8-amp booster) instead of a DB150 (5-amp).   The DB200 is only about $20 more than DB150 (partly because the DB200 is a booster only; it can't be used as a command station, like the DB150; but if you're going to use your Zephyr as the command station anyway, the DB150's command station capability is sort of a moot point), and should be plenty of horsepower for your 4 districts for quite some time.  Of course, you'll also need to get a suitable power supply that can output 8 amps to the DB200.  I use a Digitrax PS2012 to supply a DCS100 command station/booster, a DB150, and a DB200.  You can probably find (or build) something much less expensive, but the PS2012 has proven to be bulletproof and I like having the output meter to tell me what's going on.

John C.

[mu26aeh]

Oi Vei! This is going to be expensive 

[jdcolombo]

Oi Vei! This is going to be expensive 

Well, if you want to save some money to start with, you could simply construct and wire the layout as though you were going to have five power districts.  A power district is simply a section of the layout that is electrically separate - you gap the mainline and any other connecting tracks to other districts and you keep the wiring for this section self-contained.  You could build it and wire it this way, and then just connect all the districts with a main power bus that in turn is connected to the Zephyr.  This would probably work fine to start with; then as you either (1) add locomotives and the Zephyr reaches maximum load or (2) get annoyed by having the whole layout shut down when you or one of your operators causes a short (it WILL happen; the question is just how long it will take before your reach the end of your rope; for me, it was after the fourth operating session, but you might be made of sterner stuff  ) you could add the DB200 and PM42 at a later time.  The key at the construction stage is to plan for the power districts, properly isolate them and wire them, so that later on if you decide to add a booster and circuit breakers, you can do so easily by rerouting the bus wires that feed each district to the PM42 or whatever circuit breaker system you decide to use.

John C.