DCC, DC, and Maybe BS


Switch Track said:
I am a classic railroading neophyte. The salesman told me that many of his customers have abandoned DCC and have reverted to DC. Now I am not sure if he told me this because he wanted to sell me a high-priced MRC DC transformer or if he was honest.
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Perhaps HIS customers have given up DCC. I know people who attempted to buy a DCC system from a dealer that knew absolutely nothing about it, and without any support gave up on it. But more and more dealers do know something of it these days, although many of the ones who do are specialists in DCC and relative newcomers.

Andy
 
ST, you do know you just can't hook up another powerpack and run two trains, right? You have to divide the layout into blocks, gap tracks, run power wires back to a control panel, and then throw toggle switches to allow two different trains to run in two different blocks. If you ever want to run two trains, you really should re-think your position on DCC, especially since you've got one engine that already has a decoder and another one that's ready to plug a $20 decoder into. If you just want a simple layout, you can easily find a Bachmann EZ-Command DCC controller on e-bay that will handle up to five trains for $60 or less, which is about what you'd pay for another powerpack.

Bachmann has lifetime warranties on all their equipment and really do back up their products. I've been very happy with the service I've received from Bachmann, something I can't say for companies with much higher priced products.
 
UP2CSX,

No, I don't know how to run two trains on a single power source, but I do understand the concept. But with the configuration you've detailed, wouldn't the same voltage be distributed to both blocks?


Merry Christmas,

ST
 
In one of your posts you mentioned you hadn't hooked up the new transformer. If this is the case what transformer have you been using. One thing I haven't seen anyone mentioned is while running in DC you can not use a transformer that pulses the output, which is common for momentum and slow speed starting in DC. What happens is the DCC chip see's the pulses and gets confused and goes into its DCC mode.
 
UP2CSX,

My dilemma is logistical. I do not have a hobby room. As I submit this, our train is running on my living floor. At tops I might be able to dedicate sixty-four square feet to model trains. As of now, I am forced to use E-Z Track due to convenience. I'd love to set up plywood foundation and set up trains. However, were I able to use plywood I'd almost assuredly set up my American Flyer set and the rest would be moot. But due to spacial concerns, I'm limited to two trains at most.


Merry Christmas,

ST
 
mavrickO,

The locomotive that I have with DCC never ran correctly. Then it stopped running and never ran again. I have no idea why it stopped running, and neither did the Bachmann tech with whom I talked.

The other locomotive had a defect in the front mechanism. I finally fixed the problem, and now it runs well. It seems good workmanship is from a bygone era. But then again, the three steam locomotives we own are all Spectrum, so I have limited perspective. I am going buy a Hudson locomotive from another manufacturer. This time, though, I will be more attentive to detail.


Merry Christmas,

ST
 
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