Hi All,
I have been out of the model railroading hobby for about ten years. I recently bought a copy of Model Railroader and the bug has bitten me again! I can’t wait to get back to modeling again.
One thing that always bothered me about my previous layouts was the fact that the train moved but that was about it. I had a few crossing gates that closed and a guy that popped out of a house when the train went by, but that was about it. Is there any new scenery effects, sound effects, lighting, signage? I like to plan my layouts in advance and any knowledge you have on this subject would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Rap213
P.S. Sorry if I posted in the wrong forum, it’s my first time.
Hi, and welcome back. Yes, things have changed for the better. Although considerably more expensive, Digital Command and Control (DCC) is the nw wave for controlling locomotives. Each loco has a decoder installed, and if you also want the rather good sound effects, a sound decoder and small speaker. The controller sends an address signal to the locomotive that you want to run, and that locomotive will do ask you ask, including running into another loco coming from the opposite direction on the same electronic block of track!
How do you like it so far?
Sounds cool.
I’ll pass on running into another loco coming from the opposite direction on the same electronic block of track!
Anything else new? Any good websites to check out?
rap213
You made it back just in time for the MTH K4 that is coming out in the summer of 2005, believe it not!
Something about the little man coming out and the crossing gates coming down leads me to suspect that you might want to try the Classic Toy Trains forum as they deal more with Lionel and such. This forum is primarily made up of scale MRRs (N scale, HO, etc.) Either way I think you’ll find lots of new goodies that were largely pipe dreams (if they were thought of at all) 10 years ago.
go to www.tonystrains.com and read the DCC for beginners link. It is a little long, but it is the best way to understand DCC and what it does. The DCC technology is always expanding, just recently we all have access to sound decoders that will very realistically duplicate the sounds of a real locomotive for about $100. Also huge strides have been made in the detail of locomotives and rolling stock. All of the scenery methods are pretty much the same, but people are always coming up with thier own techniques.
Two more great resources that came about in the last 10 years are on the computer. The first one is forums like this one, they can be very helpful for any questions you have. Another great thing is computerized track planning software. The one available at www.sillub.com is the best free one you can get.
If you’re building a new layout you should go DCC. you don’t have to run things into each other. DCC is so much better than DC(power pack) . I’m switching to DCC in a few years.
That’s right! [:)]
DCC is much more like like running real trains.[^]
If you like MRR you’ll love DCC.
Thanks for all the replies!
Bangert1, what is the MTH K4 that is coming out in the summer of 2005? Did you mean 2006?
I’ve heard about DCC and it sounds like the way to go.
What an awsome forum. I feel like going up in the attic and digging out my trains right now!
The MTH K4 is just another K4 from a manufacturer called MTH (mikes train house). They make O scale stuff mainly and the K4 will be their first HO model. Many people on the forum don’t like MTH because they have a bad habit of sueing other train makers. These lawsuits definently hold back the new technologies that could be coming out, we dont like that[:D].
“These lawsuits definently hold back the new technologies that could be coming out, we dont like that”
I don’t like that either. I am a retired electrical engineer and love new technologies. What else new is comong out?
Retired EE huh? That’s what I’m planning on majoring in when I start college next year. I’ve always liked electrical thingamajiggers, and hooking things up in special circuits to make something unexpected happen, and if things don’t work, I always try to find the part that’s causing the problem. I know that sounded really elementary, but I’m really interested in it, and have quite a bit of experience with electrical and electronic equipment. DCC is definitely the way to go for you, it’ll be easy to learn and install the equipment.
Greg
Foam!
I’m about 1 year into my out-of-the-attic adventure. I have my HO stuff which has been in boxes for 40 years, and it’s coming back to life. Yes, one of the first things I did was get a DCC system and install decoders in my old engines. One of them actually works, but the others weren’t good enough to save. Trains from 10 years ago should be fine, though. What scale did you model back then?
Now, back to Foam! The layout base for many of us is no longer plywood, but 2-inch insulation foam, the pink or blue stuff. It’s light, cheaper than wood, and easy to work with. It allows for light benchwork, too, because it doesn’t have to hold up the heavy plywood. You can’t climb on it though. The roadbed is often foam now, too, as an alternative to cork.
Oh, yeah, there’s the Internet. It’s a great resource for model railroading. You’ve actually come to one of the best sites on the Web right here, but there are lots of others. There are a lot of on-line retailers, too, and model trains can be found on eBay (like anything else.) The Local Hobby Shop, or LHS, is having a hard time with the competition, but there are still some good ones out there, so be sure to check them out.
So welcome aboard. Don’t be shy about asking questions. We’d love to help, or we wouldn’t be here.
Of course, I was being facetious about running the locos into one another, but offered it as a stark way of pointing out the incongruity of that event under analogue (DC) control.
With DCC, you can double and triple locos of different types to pull the same train of cars by matching their speeds at a given throttle setting digitally, and then giving them all a single address. With DC, each loco would only be capable of what their motor and gearing can do at a given throttle setting. They would pull at different speeds, probably slipping.
There is much more to discover, but the way we say it to those who have not learned of DCC, but who have a good grounding in analogue toy trains, is that while you run the track in DC, you merely run locomotives in DCC. No more throwing toggles and listening to relays clacking and clicking. Just chuffing, puffing, whistles, flange squeel, and so on.
No, I meant 2005. It is still on their web page as summer of 2005. They really must not be paying attention to the year. It is an inside joke at the schedule. Sorry.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, o.k. one thing, engines make choo-choo- sounds now and you can run them from a hand held gizmo called a DC-3. Other than that it’s the same. welcome back.