Analog and digital dilemma

[duffus]

Hello! I’m new to this forum and I’m glad I finally decided to join such a select club, of model train enthusiasts. Although I am into model trains for some time, recently, being my brithday, I received as a gift this Hobby set from PIKO: http://piko.de/produkt_db/check.php?page=detail&grand_id=3&parent_id=2&child_id=0&id=57140. I decided that I MUST have a full diorama, with about 4 or 5 complete model trains. For this to happen I figured I must buy a new set, a digital one this time, for the diorama to work flawlessly, and buy from now on only digital locos. I chose as my first digital set this one: http://www.roco.com/products/41278.aspx. But i have a small dillema: do I have to buy anything else or this starter set is a complete digital sistem, working right out of the box? Beside this, if I go to a fully digital diorama, do I have any chance of making the analog loco from the set I have as a gift, working with the new sistem?
Being new to this, I would welcome any suggestion regarding the digital sistem and what should I take into consideration when purchasing new items. And of course i appologies for my bad english, if this problem was discussed before, or if I posted in the wrong section of the forum.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

There's not much detail offered about the Hercules starter set but it looks like it's DCC. To get the gift loco up to DCC standards you will have to install a decoder in it, or get someone to install one for you.

 

[duffus]

I know i have to install a decodet, but i won't do that because the loco is a cheap one. My question was if the analog loco will work on the digital rails.
So that DCC set is ready to go? No other stuff is needed to make it work?

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

It looks like it's ready to go but I can't say for sure without more info about what comes in the set. The controller is probably DDC but I've seen some pretty fancy DC ones of late. The gift loco MAY run on the DCC track, IF the controller is set up to run a DC loco. Some are not.

 

[UP2CSX]

The main thing you'll need is a DCC controller, which is probably not included in the set. Most DCC controllers allow you to run one DC only locomotive on the same tracks as your DCC engine but not all. Without knowing more information, it's hard to give you a definite asnwers. Since I assume you are in Europe, you shouldn't have any problems with the right decoders and DCC controllers but the standards between the US and European DCC systems are not the same so you'll need to know for sure what you get is compatible with European DCC.