Acela power

[soo300]

My son purchased a used Acela train set minus track & power pack. Dose anyone know how much power (volt & amps) is needed to run this set, ours does'nt have enough power to climb any grade. There is a Acela web site that calls for 20V & 10A power pack to reach a scale 150mph. If you have a set what do you run?

[ABC]

That is not your problem necessarily, has he tried adding extra weight to improve the pulling power or thoroughly cleaning the track and wheels to improve pick-up.

[Doneldon]

I'm not sure the acela will actually go 150 smph but I am also pretty sure you don't want it to.  Say you have a 60' mainline, not unusual for a moderate, in-home layout.  That works out to almost exactly a scale mile.  Your 150 smph acela will cover that distance in 24 seconds, assuming it doesn't fly off on the curves.  Ridiculous?  I think so but that's just me. 

There seems to be something of an obsession with acela speeds.  I suggest that you see if the train will go a speed which your son can live with and which looks halfway decent.  Yes, I know he'd prefer that it reach escape velocity but that's not what trains are all about.  The real acela doesn't even go 150 mph because the track isn't in good enough condition.

The other thing is that the acela is not intended to be braeny
so I wouldn't look for much pulling power.  It's a special purpose passenger train, not a drag freight engine.

     --D

[OldTimer]

HO locomotives are designed to run on 12 volts DC, although most power packs will put out a little more than that.  Today's motors are very efficient and will usually stall at something less than 1 amp, so the 10 amp figure is waaaaay over the top.  My DCC booster puts out 5 amps at 12 volts and will run more locomotives than I have room for on the layout.  Any power pack that your LHS can sell you should be ample.  Perhaps the lack of performance is why the set was available used.
Old Timer

[soo300]

Sorry I don't mean to sound rude but I've been model railroading for 30 years & know the basics like you guys. I just wanted to know if anyone else had this set & what they use for power. Aristo dose make a 20V/10A power supply that has been used to power this set (The Acela Advantage.com) & yes I do have the room  to run at speed (I have no intention of trying to run at 150mph) I have a 65x90 outdoor HO layout with 48" radius I run in the summer. So please no lectures or lessons, I've covered the basics & have good common sense like the rest of you. Thanks I appreciate the help.         

[pdlethbridge]

Is that feet or inches? If it's feet I see why you're having a problem. How many track connections do you have? Are you running DC or DCC? If you have only a few track connections, then there is no way the layout will run properly. In DCC, we use a Buss system that uses 14 or 12 gauge wire and feeders to the track every few feet say of 22 or 24 gauge. The locos have their own decoder and can be controlled separately or together.

[soo300]

Sorry thats feet, dc (soon to change), & is powered by an old 18V MRC duel cab controler that lets me run 2 engines per track. There are no grades on this layout as its bult on a 18" self 30" up on A picket fence (yes Its white)  bult around the kids play area. This is a fun layout more people should try it, I painted the Atlas flex track with good UV paint & sanded the rail & its lasted through 3 years of northern Wisconson weather with needing no more than the track sanded (use the green Scotch Bright pads for aluminum). If anyone wants more info let me know.                                  I've only tryed the Acela on our indoor 10'x10' dc layout run by Bachmann 16V controllers. I know DCC is the way to go but to get the layouts done I'ts not in the budget yet as I have an extensive dc engine collection.  I probably have a problem with engine but thought I try this first to eliminate a possible power supply problem.   

[Doneldon]

soo300-

Sorry for preaching to the choir.  No offense intended.

I think that big Aristo power source is for large scale.  They are so much heavier that they need plenty of oomph.

     --D

[Joe Satnik]

Dear so300,

Here is an MR reveiw by Jim Hediger:

Bachmann HO Acela
Model Railroader, June 2001 page 16
( ACELA, AMTK, BACHMANN, "HEDIGER, JIM", PASSENGER, REVIEW, MR )

Excerpts:

Drawbar pull:  5.9 oz.

Engine weight: 1.69 lb.

Min radius: 22"

Filtered DC, straight track performance:

Scale mph, Load, Volts, Amps

14.5, free, 4.4V, .19A
36.6, free, 6.0V, .20A
73.7, free, 9.0V, .25A
108.0, free, 12.0V, .28A
--, Slipping, 12.0V, .70A
--, Stalled, 12.0V, 1.10A

Jim mentioned that two of the four axles on the sample loco were under gauge, but could be removed and gently pressed into adjustment.

Do you have an ammeter to measure your power pack current? 

If not, you can make one out of an in-line resistor and a volt-meter.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik     

[pdlethbridge]

Have you soldered all your rail joints? You could have a significant voltage drop from the power source to the end tracks. My suggestion would be to add heavy gauge feeders.

[jonathan]

I like my Acela set so much, I picked up a couple extra cars to complete the consist.

The tough thing about passenger cars is they are not free rolling, especially when they light up, like the Acela.  The engine has to work pretty hard just to drag those cars around.  The Acela cars roll as good or better than any of the other full length cars I've tried.

Still I find I have to crank up the juice, to get the engine moving at anything close to a prototypical speed.  I use an MRC Tech II pack.  I believe they put out 14.5 volt at full throttle.  I have to run my Acela at around 80% power when I run that train.  Even with 24" radius turnarounds, the train will slow down a bit through the turns.

Try it with the room lights off.  Looks pretty nice.

Enjoy.

Regards,

Jonathan

[soo300]

Thanks for all the help everybody. Found he problem to be worn electrical pickups on the drive wheels & ordered new new drive trucks (the only way you can get new pickups). 

[full maxx]

I have the Acela and it runs great on dcc , it also ran great on dc with the standard Bachmann controller, I think it puts out 16v...not sure about the amps tho...here is a picture of my current layout minus the mountain and lake with 4 power points