evans dad Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 hi everybody, i would like to build a shelf system that goes all round a room about a foot from the ceiling,my knowledge of hornby is very limited...all i can say is i bought my boy 2 hornby sets ( thomas the tank and percy and the mail sets, i know im going to have to buy more track etc. my question is ....im going to have two sets of track on the shelving unit each track will be run by its own power supply and controller which came with the sets, would each power supply power one track about 40 foot long or would i have to add more power to each track. thanks and any advice is very much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Apart from electrical losses due to resistance in poor rail joints (for example corroded or loose metal track joiners). Track does not consume power, it only transports it. So it doesn't really matter whether the track is 4 foot long or 40 foot long..So no, you do not need to add secondary controllers to the same track length. Just for completeness of information. If you did, then you would need to split the track up into separate power districts and isolate each district from the other with Insulated Rail Joiners (Hornby R920). Then attach a different controller to each district. The whole idea then starts to get overly complicated..If you want to negate the electrical loses introduced by poorly fitted or corroded metal rail joiners, then it is easier to just run multiple power feeds to strategic locations along the track length to evenly distribute the power. These multiple track connections then get aggregated into a single pair of wires to connect to the controller. Not at all easy to do physically with Hornby controllers that have moulded plugs like for example the basic set R8250 controller..Note: The R8250 is a very basic set controller, included in sets just to get you going. One weakness of this cheap controller is that it easily overheats and cuts out. You then have to disconnect the power input and give the controller 5 minutes to cool down and reset. If you experience this, then the only real long term solution is to replace the R8250s with a better quality more powerful controller..So in conclusion, just have one controller per track each with a single track power feed. If you intend to include any points to create a cross-over between one track and the other for additional play interest. Then you might find reviewing Chapter 5 of MY PDF document titled “Getting Started, including Track Extension Packs” downloadable from the sticky post with the same name at the top of the ‘General Discussion’ sub-forum a useful read. Chapter 5 goes into detail regarding using either one or two tracks and controllers..Don’t be put off by the document title; the document will give you a good ‘all round’ grounding in the differences between DC Analogue vs DCC Digital control and what is involved in upgrading a layout from one to the other. Just be aware that all the part numbers mentioned in the PDF are for products that were current at the time of publication..Another Dad has recently posted something virtually identical to what you are proposing. The clickable link below will take you to Page 2 of his thread. Look to his post 3/4 of the way down the page, time stamped at 15:05 where you will find a clickable link to a YouTube video of his high level round the bedroom Thomas layout..https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/post/view/topic_id/25943/?p=2.TIP: As this is your first post, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evans dad Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 Thank you soo much for your help mate. I will keep you informed on how the project is going and post some pics too. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 When you have made some progress and are ready to post some images then there is an existing dedicated thread where you can post them..Let's see your layouts..How to post an image is documented here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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