As of the last update 79.2% of all N scale clubs are using DCC on all or part of their layout. Of those that use DCC 87.7% are using a Digitrax system with 4.4 using Lenz, 2.6 using NCE, 1.8 using CVP, and 3.5 using something else.
The above figures indicate that no matter how user friendly a system claims to be in the end it is the system that can do the most is the one that is chosen most often.
SNIP
There are a number of very important issues at stake and generally speaking since most model railroaders I know have limited budgets making the right choice the first time can save hours of pain, frustration, and what generally is expensive renovations later.
I'd be interested to see when the system purchases were made by the answerers in your survey. I belonged to an HO club in Alabama for many years and was involved in the decision to go with DCC. We chose Digitrax for several reasons.
They were one state over and had a heavy market presence in our area. They were what the area dealers carried, while the other major manufacturers presence was almost non existent.
They offered a first time break to clubs which meant a deep discount in the initial equipment purchase. (not sure if they still do this) The system price was our number one concern. The next largest manufacturer at the time was NCE, and the equivalent amount of their equipment we would have had to buy would have cost twice what we paid for Digitrax. No brainer! This could go a long way towards explaining your results.
Bottom line, I think your last paragraph nails the real reason. Most all of us buy on price, not necessarily system capability. I see this every day in the retail marketplace, at train shows, and in hobby shops. If a club can get system "A" for 50-75% the cost of system "B", decision made. System capability is much less a concern as long as it will do what the club wants it to do.
Technical differences, system architecture, and specs mean very little to guys who just want to run trains, and that's most of us.
From my own experiences, and through talking with others here, I believe that first time purchases are mostly influnced by price, availability, and what we're exposed to by our friends. I think most of us care very little about the "techno-geek" aspects of one system vs another. (no offense if you are one
)
The poll here was, I think, geared to guys with home layouts. Starter systems from the major players are all priced pretty close now, so when that part of the playing field is level, I think the responses we are seeing here are pretty accurate.
System users are usually fiercely loyal, as are those of us who prefer one loco manifacturer over another, so there is always some sort of discussion here about NCE vs. Digitrax, vs MRC; Athearn vs. BLI; Soundtraxx vs. QSI; MTH vs.everybody else, and so on and on.
At least we're all running trains
