So, to be a model railroader, you need to power your trains and accessories. So you need a throttle, a power-pack.
I've had several over the years, and now that I have all my trains again (my Dad was keeping them for me, then he Died)... well I want to model railroad again to Honor something that my Father gave me a life-time experience with ... and to watch the trains run, and the clicky-clack of the rails.
Strange enough, just like my Dad, I like to watch the trains run, and would like them to be automated so that I can sit back and enjoy.
Other times, I don't mind switching and running the trains myself, to keep me in the loop as a Model Railroader.
These things were Made in the USA, and you may want to read my note on that below.
I have several throttles, some transistor based, and others conventional. My Dad had several MRC Dual Loco Pack 700s which was the first DC throttle I ever used.
My very own first throttle was a transistor throttle, a Troller TRA-1000, with momentum and braking. Pretty cool, let me tell you, when my Dad got it for me as a Christmas gift. Wow!
It worked great, and then it died one day. My Dad sent it off to Troller, and they returned it fixed after a month or three. I really missed it while it was away, very awesome to see trains slowly accelerate, and be able to brake them like you handle a real train -- not like Speedy Gonzales on the throttle.
It turned out that Troller had some transistor burning out problems, which somewhat plagued their otherwise fine throttles. These days, you can just replace the final transistor with a better Darlington pair, and voila, back in business.
Years later, when I had my house, it went with me so I could "play trains" when I was away -- all the other throttles were my Father's.
Even later, I picked up some O Scale (two rail) Track and some small switchers and a few cars from local hobby shops. I'd really wanted to try it out... part of the reason is that because everything is larger, I find it easier to work on.
I was concerned about the big Locomotives burning out my Troller, so I looked for some other Throttles which had higher capacity. I found a nice MRC Control Master XI and that was great -- and simulated air brakes! Then I ran across a MRC Cab Control 77 which is a slimmed down version of the full power pack, why not, these were all child-hood dreams.
The O-Scale trains were actually great to run, they were quite robust, and tracked better than HO trains do -- the rail and wheel sizes and weights where really improving operations. They just take up a lot of room!
I sent my Dad some videos of the trains running on my living room floor around Christmas, and he was so excited to see them; the scale makes them really quite impressive! We talked quite a bit about model railroad issues.
I kept my eye out for some other model RR gear, and managed to find a couple of Troller TRH-200 hand-held cab throttles. They were a nice counterpoint to the larger throttles, being basically my Troller TRA-1000 in my hand ...
They came with some Jones Plugs to let you plug them into layouts at different locations for cab control. They worked pretty nicely, and are also compact and simple.
I'm thinking of putting Jones Plugs on all my throttles to connect to the layout, so I can just swap them around as needed. Of course, the powered throttles won't consume the power ... but they can provide it! Probably just one, so I don't short out anything by accident.
After My Dad died in 2019, I bought another TRH-200 from eBay that went "Ka-Boom" when I was testing it ... and I was too busy with life then to deal with it. TimC! was kind enough to repair it for me after I drilled out the rivets holding the case together --- he even drew up a schematic of the TRH-200 for me so I'd have a repair reference!
About that time I also picked up a rheostat based throttle -- a MRC Control Master 550 to use on my test track, and for making sure that the layout and locomotives really do work as well as you think they do.
The big advantage of the simple throttle is that it makes things like dirty track, poor lubrication, mechanical binding, ... all show up so you can fix those issues.
Many transistor throttles have circuitry which try to give you great train control by adjusting current and voltage, and so you may not be getting a true "Heads UP!" on the status of your rolling stock & maintenance!
Truth is, if I'd found a MRC Dual Loco Pack 700 in good condition, I would probably have purchased it... However I really wanted one of My Dad's, not a substitute. Instead... I bought something similar to what my Dad had himself, and that my Dad would have been proud to use playing trains with me!
One thing that may not be obvious, is that all of the equipment that I am mentioning here was designed, and manufactured in the USA, by American Companies.
Of course, anything we buy today is Made in China, and is of the cheapest construction possible. That is not completely the fault of the Chinese -- because the American companies building things now build them for a cost or profit point. However, the Chinese manufacturers Cheapen their construction as much as possible, and often the results are horrible.
And sometimes, they companies don't, and you get some excellently produced products from China that are a Joy.
It's not the country -- it's the attitude of the companies involved. Some still want to create quality products -- and it shows! It is also somewhat rare.
This equipment was something that these companies were proud of and stood behind their products fiercely.
Today, if you are lucky, someone will will help you out. Back in the 1960s-1980s, people stood behind their product.. fiercely!