DCC Impulses Column - 4
all the lights on. Okay, let’s assume that you have a loco that
draws ½ amp maximum – a reasonable value for modern HO
models. It will draw the same ½ amp whether it is on a yard-
long test track or 100 yards away on a huge layout.
Yes, large layouts have more room for more locomotives to be
running or sitting and idling.
An HO scale passenger car with incandescent bulbs can draw
more power than a modern loco. It is possible for a long string
of passenger cars and a multi-unit locomotive set to over-
whelm a DCC system rated at 5 amps.
If you are using your DCC power to run turnouts, either directly
or through stationary decoders, they add to the load, too.
4
4: I can run a low current draw G loco over my entire gar-
den layout with my PowerCab (1.5 amp) system due to
good wiring practices.
MRH-Mar 2013
