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Will be taking the plunge very shortly into model railroading. Need to know....should I go with analog or DCC. Seems that DCC equipment is hard to find. i.e. Locomotives etc.
What I am really wondering....if I go with analog will I be wishing I had went with DCC down the line.
Please let me know your thoughts and which way you see the model RR comunity going on this question. It feels like the DCC is the wave of the future and I should just go with that to keep from re-buying or converting later on.
To answer your question... Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, go DCC. Digital train control takes model railroading to an entirely new level over analog. Seriously.
The main question I'd ask myself is this, do I want to run more than one train at a time? If the answer is yes, go DCC. If you are going to be happy running one train around in a loop, you don't need DCC.
I think you all have helped me make my decision. Three little girls require that I stay with N scale due to space limitations. I am thinking of going with a pre-planned layout to start with and need to know where to shop for DCC equipment...if you have any tips? I am pretty excited. Been planning to do this for years!!!
DCC is even better in N scale because the digital decoder allows you to set a speed curve that matches your throttle setting to the motor of the engine. Many N scale engines have to high a starting speed and are too fast on the top end. DCC can help smooth that out. I was very suprised after converting a couple of good running HO engines how much smoother they ran on DCC. it's a lot more fun letting a passenger train run on the mainline while I switch the yard and spurs without having to worry about wiring blocks and throwing toggle switchs
I am drinking from a fire hose at the moment so please forgive me.....I thought that DCC would eliminate the need for controlloing track but when I begin to dig in I start to get confused an then frustrated!
Lamen terms welcome here.
Let me lay out my plans and if I can entice any of yo uinto further feedback I will greatly appreciate it.
Here goes: I am thinking seriously about purchasing a kit calledh the "Gulf Summit Lines & susquehanna valley railway." (Atlis Layout N-18) Problem I am seeing at the moment is this:
Reversing Loop: I see several products for reversing loops. Do I need them? Not sure why they make these for DCC??? I thought the loco would sence the reverse in polarity and adjust?
Lots of turnouts: I have located stationary de-coders but now realize that there are snap acting and stall type decoders. Obviously atlas kits supply sylinoid crossovers so need to keep that in mind but am I doing somthing I don't want to with buying a kit to get up and running. If I dont use decoders for the turnouts then I assume I will need to purchase a power supply and just use the switch machines that come with the crossoers? Perhaps the DCC power supply can suply power to the standard non decoded turnouts as well.
Could sombody explain power districts and blocs for DCC?
As you can probably tell I am a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Maybe need to take a nap. I guess I am the wrong kind of engineer but am making progress with your help.
It is true that the engine works the same way no matter which way the current is going. The problem is that if the front have of the engine has track polarity going in one direction and the back half of the train has track polarity going in the other, it shorts the track. A toggle switch is all you need, if you don't want to mess with the reversing units.
Power district are mainly for larger tracks where you want to a) distribute power as in additional boosters or b) isolate a particular section if a short occurs. If you are buying a kit, I doubt you need to worry about it.
You can use stationary decoders for turnouts, but few people I know do. Most of the serious operators (at least in the ops sessions I go to) use manual ground throws. Very reliable and inexpensive. With switch machines most people still use MOM switches.
You can get a cheap power supply off eBay for under $5 if you want to power the turnouts. You can also use the power supply from an old computer. This is a good idea if you want to power a lot of accessories like lights and turntables and ferris wheels.
I agree with Chip. I only use powered turnouts for ones I can't reach easily. For those, I have an extra small transformaer I picked up at a garage sale for a buck. It will provide all the power you need to throw a powered turnout. Your choice if you want to use the standard Atlas above ground switch machines or the better looking but more expensive and harder install under table machines.
For every turnout I can reach, I use ground throws from Caboose Hobbies. They are cheap, reliable, and easy to install. Throwing switches by hand is part of the fun of model railroading since you have to think ahead and often stop the train to throw the switch, just like a real railroad. You also get to see how each turnout is operating and fix little problems before they become major.
Reversing loops are still an issue with DCC for the reasons that Chip explained. While a simple toggle switch will work, I'd go for an automatic reversing unit. With DCC, you can be running a mainline train (or two, depending on the size of your layout), switching the yard, and servicing industry spurs, all at the same time. It can get pretty complicated if you're doing this by yourself and remembering to throw the reverse loop switch is easy to forget. DCC doesn't like dead shorts and it's liable to shut down your whole railroad unitl it's fixed. The automatic reversers are just easier for my pea-sized brain to deal with.
Hello. You are getting first class advice, so I won't add much except to suggest strongly, in concert with the others, that you purchase an automatic reversing unit. If the trackplan that you ultimately choose contains a reversing section, you will make mistakes at times and shut down the system with short protection before you remember to flip the toggle. Not only that, the toggle may be out of reach if you are on the opposite side of a free-standing layout. With the reverser, you just line your route by getting all the turnout points in the right positions, and then drive your train, into and out of your reversing section at will.
The beauty of DCC is that you can leave one engine idling on the very same track as the one on which a passenger train accelerates leaving the station. You can't do that with DC because the other engine, regardless of which way it is facing or your intentions for it, will chase the passenger train around the layout. If the gearing is sufficiently tall, it will actually run into the passenger train's rear end. How realistic is that!
