!OST #14_rev - O scale trains

Product News & ReviewsNEWS: Model Tech StudiosPO Box 1497No. Hampton, NH 03862Ph: 603.964.5995www.modeltechstudios.comO Scale 3D Tenement, Pack of 2. Each pack includes: 2tenements which can be built as flat or pitched roof varieties,fully detailed porch railings, columns and stairs, stair wellexit and chimneys. The kit comes complete with fully illustr a t e dinstructionmanual aswell. Each kitwill coverapprox. 18"length alongthe wall andprojects out3 1 ⁄2" and canbe narrowedif desired.Combinetwo or more packs and create an entire tenement row spanningover 3 feet. Each kit retails for $110.NEWS: DCC Specialities.COM210 E front StTraverse City MI 49384800-671-0641, www.dccspecialities.comDCC Specialties.com has announced several new electronicdevices:“POWERPAX DCC PROGRAMMING BOOSTER: Toprotect decoders during programming, DCC standardslimit the available voltage to the programming track. However,many new locomotives with sound and control setups,as well as some after-market sound systems, placehigh-current demands even in programming mode. Thishas meant some DCC systems were unable to programthese locomotives at all, and others succeeded only on ahit-or-miss basis.“Powerpax DCC Programming Booster from DCC Specialties.comprovides increased power for DCC programmingtracks to handle the demands of Broadway Limitedand other high-draw decoders. Powerpax boosts the outputto your programming track in a controlled manner thatallows capacitors and other heavy-draw circuitry to powerupon these new systems. This boost is controlled bymicroprocessors so that the decoders are still protectedfrom damage as intended by the DCC standards. For only$59.95, POWERPAX provides reliable programming fortoday’s and tomorrow’s most sophisticated decoders.“ON-GUARD DCC CIRCUIT BREAKER: (OG-CB) is anexternal circuit breaker for dividing DCC layouts into protectedpower districts. It provides 4-amp protection againstshort-circuits with a reaction time that’s faster than anybuilt-in breaker on any system.“OG-CB is a solid-state circuit board with no relays. Installationrequires only that you connect your main bus to the ON-GUARDinputs and use the ON-GUARD outputs to feed the bus to that district.“ON-GUARD automatically resets once a short is cleared. Thecircuit board has built-in outputs for track-power and short-circuitstatus lights should you wish to add these to a remote control panel.“ON-GUARD, reliable short-circuit protection at a price thatmakes power districts an affordable reality on any size layout.“Shorts happen. The most attentive of operators will sooner orlater approach a turnout set against them. The best-maintained trackand equipment can still have derailments. At the least, shorts shutdown your system, but if that shutdown is slow in coming a multiampshort can seriously damage your valuable equipment. All DCCmanufacturers and guidebooks recommend separating your layoutinto independently protected districts so a short doesn’t shut downyour entire railroad. That’s great advice, and the budget pricing ofON-GUARD means you can avoid shutdowns, without having thebank foreclose.“The OG-CB is $29.95.”“ON-GUARD DCC AUTO REVERSER (OG-AR) provides automaticdirection control for DCC locomotives traversing reversingloops, wyes, or turntables. The OG-AR has the same ultra-highspeedresponse time and the same 4-amp capacity as our circuitbreakers. OG-AR is solid-state circuitry with no relays. Outputs forremote indicator lights for track power and reversing are built-in.“One of the great benefits of DCC is automatic reversing sectionsthat eliminate the need to stop and throw switches to align polarityso your train can traverse a wye or circumnavigate a return loop.Everyone makes auto-reversers and the price can vary tremendously.So what’s the difference you ask? Speed of response and capacity.“Automatic reversing requires that the circuit sense a “short”(your train entering the section of reversed polarity) and immediatelymatch the polarity. But it’s not enough to do this quickly; you haveto be able to handle the load of the train entering the section, whichis why the OG-AR’s unmatched 4-amp capacity is so important. TheOG-AR is $39.95.“MAGNA FORCE (MF615) provides a stable output voltage of 15volts AC at 5 amperes. The 5-amp rating is conservative and the unithas consistently out-performed the rating in tests. The unit is idealfor powering most systems by Atlas, Digitrax, Lenz, NCE and otherDCC systems. The transformer is housed in an impact resistant plastichousing with a built-in, lighted on-off switch. MAGNA FORCE isprotected from short circuits and overloads by an internal circuit.Turning off the unit and waiting a minute will recycle the breakerand restore operation.“MAGNA FORCE is a complete power supply with a six-foot,three-wire, 16AWG input line with grounded plug for standard120VAC wall outlets. In addition, there is an integral 16AWG, theewireoutput cord that terminates in stripped and tinned bare wire forinsertion into the standard input wire clamps on all systems. Theinstruction sheet provides hook-up diagrams for Digitrax, Lenz, andNCE systems. The MF615 is $44.95.”May/June ’04 - O Scale Trains • 43