Rich, I have my four turnouts connected to the 16v transformer and it seems to work OK. You say 12 to 16v. Is one better than the other?

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after reading some of the topic here, I'm not sure what voltage should be used on the Bachman turnouts. Can anyone help?

Thanks,
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This is a Bachmann product....... Can anyone tell me what the voltage rating is for this unit?

Thanks,
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Jerry, this looks like the bulb. I'll stop but Radio Shack to see if they have one.

Thanks,
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All I noticed was that it was burning and then it went out. It might of flashed but I did not see it. Happened in seconds. The Bachmann Lighted Freight Station said it was for use with all HO trains on the outside of the box. there were no other instruction inside or on the cover about the voltage requirement. The transformer is 16 V.

Any other ideas?
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I just got the Lighted Freight Station and hooked the wires to the transformer to see if it worked. The light came on for a few seconds and then went out. When removing the light from the bottom of the station on of the plastic clips broke (can it get worse I ask).

Where can I get replacement parts including the light bulb. I assume I did not cause the problem by hooking it to the transformer.

Your help is appreciated,
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Thanks a bunch guys. I'll get a meter for sure with all the advice I got. Don't know why I did not look at the unit - it's clearly marked.

I have the Bachamann HO trains and power supply units. What voltage is it? Need to know so I get the right street lights and other building lights.

Thanks,
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Joe, could not Winebottle to work but I've found a Windows 7 program that I can install on my Mac later today and then run any rail software.

Appreciate your help,
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Donelson, thanks for the tips. Had not thought about it from that perspective. Will do some more thinking about complexity and elevation differences. I've got to keep 3.5 and 4.5 year old interested for a few years before they get to the age that want to make it something else. I don't think I want to start at a complex endpoint with them.

I love people that help me think about things.
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morgue, I like that. just email it to rookie123@comcast.net.

Thanks

Joe it seems the software will only run on Windows and I'm 100% Apple. If I can get a cheap copy of Windows I'll install it on my Mac and see if that works. Poop.....

Thanks again,
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Wow Joe. Some excellent information and I will run with your suggestions - I'll download the app and see what happens. I love doing that kind of thing.

Again thanks for the enlightenment,
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I posted the layout I'm thinking about here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sue_rookie/11817723794/

The basement room is huge 25 x 20 so not a problem. Will use 1" foam on plywood or 4" foam as base with proper support structure.

The inner track would be a ground zero all the way around. The middle track would be at elevation 1" and the outer loop at 2". The middle and outer loops would rise 1" to 2" and 3" respectively on the far side of the town with all the landscaping needed to have a tunnel and bridge system. The open space would only be for setup, landscaping, derailment, etc as the controls would be on the outside of the 8' x 8' layout. I'm considering how to connect the two outside loops with cross overs.

Does 22" radius for the two outer loops and 18" for the inner loop seem OK? Does it take 4 sections of 22" radius to make a 90 degree turn? I would plan to install the tracks at ground level zero for testing before installing the different elevations and risers.

I would appreciate any suggestions you might have. Thanks very much.
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Guys you don't know how much I appreciate your responses and suggestions/knowledge. The pool table is a little bigger than 4 x 8 on top of the rails but smaller inside the rails where I have 3 loops and 3 different trains running now. I would raise it to the top of the rails and add another 46" x 96" section with a 24" x 54" cutout in the middle to provided access. I'd like to be able to take it down in two pieces but I doubt I would ever do that as the grandsons are totally into it.

In the next few weeks I'd plan to install the 2 sections (plywood maybe) followed by layout of the track configuration which I have not finalized on. I getting lots of input from this site as well as others and have a pretty good idea what I want. I'm thinking about running 3 trains on 3 loops all a different elevations with some cross overs with a town somewhere in the middle.

Again thanks so much,
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