Next stop: New Transformerville

Minor setback with the trains. Just when the electrical work was 99% done and my nerves were equally frazzled, one of the transformers is now close to frying. It was blinking its famous red dummy light, which indicates that you're about 5 minutes from burning the place down. I'm running a 275 watt ZW and a 180 watt KW. In english, that essentially means I'm turning on a 455 watt bulb every time I fire up the layout.

As Paris Hilton would say...'that's hot.'

Ahh, now that's a transformer. I'll take two.


The ZW seems to be fine, but the KW is bustin' at the seams. It was my dad's, so I kinda wanted to use it. Then again, all tolled, it's running over 30 buildings comprising more than 100 little interior lightbulbs, four switch motors, two crossing gate motors, three plug-in relays, and let's not forget: two dual-motor locomotives plus a dozen lit passenger/subway cars. That's a lot of juice. I do believe Con Ed has noticed. Next step I guess is to have Louie (my micro-electrician) beef up the KW somehow, or replace it with another ZW. But I'm not a nerd, I swear.

And yet, a pin head's worth of nuclear fuel probably contains enough potential energy to power the layout for 50 years, non stop. But I'd go bald and my skin would melt off.

I may just go with another transformer.