Location of DB150 command station on my layout

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I am building a modular layout following the general principles of Dave Barrow's Cat Mountain and Santa Fe. I just got a Digitrax Super Empire Builder set for Xmas and I am wondering where and how to mount the unit and the transformer to my layout tables?

-- Richard Meads (rmeads1435@aol.com), January 01, 2003

Answers

Dear Richard,

One of the good things about the Digitrax Boosters is their compact size. I built a portable box or shelf (rectangle) out of dimensional lumber, 1x6 pine boards, to house my Digitrax Boosters, transformers, and PM4 power distributer, and UR91. The boosters and transformers are held in place with heavy duty double side stick tape from Radio Shack and the other components are screwed in. All of the components fit inside the box, like a shelf, and it has a handle on it, like a suitcase, so the system is portable.

I too have a modular style layout and on each module section I have terminal block strips, one on each end of the module. The track bus is connected to the terminal strip and each module is connected to each other with wired spade plugs. On my module in the center of the layout I have connected an automotive electrical socket to the terminal strip on one side of the module. On my portable booster box the track wires from the PM4 feed to a terminal strip which has connected to it a male automotive style plug, cinch plugs would also work. All I have to do is plug into the socket to power my layout. The portable booster box sits on a small table underneath the layout next to an electrical wall socket. The good thing is that I can remove the entire unit to take to train shows or for maintenence.

-- David F. Butts (davidbutts@sprintmail.com), January 03, 2003.


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