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Ok, when I just connected the second half, it was dim. My power pack is rated for 20 volts AC output and 7 amps AC. I have 27 bulbs total on my layout. It never was dim like this. When I first built it, everything worked fine with no shorts and the lights were all very bright. I am thinking I...

I have my layout wiring divided in half right now and when I have only one of the halves running, my powerpack is pushing 19 volts. The problem, I believe, lies with the other half. Something in there is draining all my voltage. Is it possible for a lightbulb to drain voltage like that? I'm not...

They are much dimmer than what they should be..does this mean there's a short someone along the line? Or maybe a bad light bulb somewhere? My volt meter is reading 13 volts out from the power pack, yet it is rated for 20. Without the load, it's pushing 19.9. All my lights combined are only using...

lol ok...so that basically means then that this short has something to do with my wiring?

Thanks again for your help. I really appreciate all this. My neighbor's house and my house are "tied together", according to the electric company. I am afraid of risking another power problem again so the next time I fire this thing up, I am going to hook it up to a deep cell battery instead...

Edit: nevermind

Ok thanks for all your help. I think I will pick up one of those cold soldering irons in addition to the one I have now.

One more thing, does it matter which polarity (negative or positive) of the light goes to my main bus?

Eh...I better get a new transformer then. One time when I turned it on, it restarted my computer from across the room. The next day the power company knocked on my door saying the neighbors are having problems with their power. My soldering tip just broke so right now I gotta head over to...

Ok thanks. I am going to try that right now. By the way, would a short in my train board cause half my basement to lose power?

The transformer on my HO set shut down the other day as soon as I plugged it in (after not being used for months). I got my volt meter out and tried to find where the short was. I tested each building/street light individually. To my surprise, what I found was about half of all the lights made...