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Bachmann coaches with lights


stock_2007
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This is a daft question as I'm sure I should know I'm looking at a number of Bachmann  Pullman coaches all of which are fitted with lights. My layout is DCC so my question is will the DCC blow the lights? As always thank you for any help

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The lights should stay on permanently on DCC tracks - they should come to no harm in doing this.

The same applies to the Hornby Pullmans too. I have quite a few of the latter, running on DCC for a number of years with no ill effects. 

Edit: p.s. it was definitely a good idea to ask, though, not daft at all. If in doubt, there is a wealth of knowledge here, so much safer to ask rather than potentially blow perfectly good items up. :)

Edited by SRman
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What you do need to consider though is the total current draw of everything that is sat on the track as it can add up to quite a significant static load, especially if some of the coaches or locos are old that have incandescent bulbs.

 

A few people have ended up with the static load being at the limit of their power supply and needing to add boosters to provide sufficient power for the layout to run.

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What you do need to consider though is the total current draw of everything that is sat on the track as it can add up to quite a significant static load, especially if some of the coaches or locos are old that have incandescent bulbs.

 

A few people have ended up with the static load being at the limit of their power supply and needing to add boosters to provide sufficient power for the layout to run.

Absolutely. :)

 

In the specific case of the OP, the Bachmann and Hornby Pullmans use LEDs and light guides, so the current draw is not great at all, but as you said, if anyone is using older coaches with bulbs, the current draw could easily become an issue.

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The other consideration is the increased startup current surge - as, at least with the Hornby pullmans, but probably the Bachmann versions, they will have a smoothing capacitor - and although its individual surge current  is not a problem (resistor limited) - having more and more of them, all with this fairly essential flicker-elimination storage capacitor, it can be a problem with an increasingly large surge current on startup ... as your collection grows ...compounded by sound, and possibly stay-alive locos.... and this is (one reason) why I use PSX intelligent circuit breakers, creating several sub districts (each with a lower current limit than the controller's maximum) ... but which are designed to detect the difference between a straight short circuit, and the inrush of capacitors charging...    (I think, with the Hornby pullmans, I found a rake of about 5 beginning to cause a problem - possibly due to other coaches and locos already on the layout).

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