>>10806254>How big a track can I power with the 72 watt supply before I need to upgrade? My plan is to add a crossover and some non powered switches.You'll be fine. It's an amperage limitation that hits multiple engines, not a limit in current for more track. You could reasonably do like a 8' by 10' oval on a wall wart, probably even more. From a wiring standpoint, doing extra drops would be impractical with that supply, but you don't need those unless you have a weak section.
>So why the hell does the cw-80, which does 80 watts, cost $150?These are basically equivalent and they both cost $150. That's just what an AC transformer costs these days. DC transformers benefit from phone shittery and other stuff that makes half-wave rectification and step down really cheap to make.
https://www.lionelstore.com/CW80-Transformer-New-Improvedhttps://www.modeltrainstuff.com/mth-o-40-1000-z-1000-transformer/The wall wart with the Lionchief sets is a DC supply, not an AC one. It only works at one speed, and only works with Lionchief engines. It's a constant 18 VDC to track.
You cannot take a modern or "postwar" engine, commonly described as "conventional powered" and run it with the wall wart. It'll will constant run at full power and probably run the whistle because that's how engines at that scale work their whistle.
>TLDR versionLionchief is DC, regular O is AC. O is special that way. The discrete transformers work with all engines, not just Lionchief. But you have to buy those separately and they cost half a new "starter pack".
