I have resurrected two 1950's Lionel 3-track O gauge trains (2 engines and a few cars each) on a track system composed of an inner loop and an outer loop connected via 4 manual switches. I purchased ONE Lionel CW-80 transformer and had hoped it would be powerful enough to run both trains simultaneously, but it simply doesn't supply enough power, and both trains slow down to a crawl, or stop altogether. In my olden daze, with old transformers now gone, I simply ran my two old transformers wired in parallel to power my two-train system. If I purchase a second CW-80, can I sucessfully wire them in the same way? I just gave my 6-year-old grandson my entire set, and of course, he is thrilled. But we are disappointed that the one CW-80 can only power one train at a time, and I told him I would find out if grandpa Rich can come up with a solution.
To clarify/expand my earlier version of this posting, all I want to do is run one train in the inner loop of track and simultaneously run the second train in the outer loop. Historically, there was no independent control of each train, and I don't need that now. I simply had both trains running simultaneously at whatever speed each was driven by the combined throttle setting of the two combined-in-parallel transformers. To stop, or reverse, the trains, I simply turned off the transformers momentarily. To exchange which train is running on which loop, I simply manually flipped the track switches at an appropriate time where each train could switch tracks without running into the other.
So, will a 2nd CW-80 wired in parallel do the job? We are not looking for anything more complicated, or versatile, at the moment. I am a little concerned that these more modern Lionel CW-80's might automatically shut down or something if I connect them in parallel like I did in the good ol' days.
I am sure you experienced conductors realize that we cannot power one track loop with one transformer and the other loop separately with the other transformer because, when one of the trains enters the same loop as the second train during the transition switching (lasts for a few seconds), then a single transformer would be powering both trains, and the single CW-80 will power down.
To clarify/expand my earlier version of this posting, all I want to do is run one train in the inner loop of track and simultaneously run the second train in the outer loop. Historically, there was no independent control of each train, and I don't need that now. I simply had both trains running simultaneously at whatever speed each was driven by the combined throttle setting of the two combined-in-parallel transformers. To stop, or reverse, the trains, I simply turned off the transformers momentarily. To exchange which train is running on which loop, I simply manually flipped the track switches at an appropriate time where each train could switch tracks without running into the other.
So, will a 2nd CW-80 wired in parallel do the job? We are not looking for anything more complicated, or versatile, at the moment. I am a little concerned that these more modern Lionel CW-80's might automatically shut down or something if I connect them in parallel like I did in the good ol' days.
I am sure you experienced conductors realize that we cannot power one track loop with one transformer and the other loop separately with the other transformer because, when one of the trains enters the same loop as the second train during the transition switching (lasts for a few seconds), then a single transformer would be powering both trains, and the single CW-80 will power down.