On my DCC layout, all of my locomotives are assigned an individual long address by using the road number of the locomotive. Since some locomotives have the same road number, I have to make some exceptions to that general rule. When I assign multiple locomotives to a consist, I simply set a unique consist number.
I have read where some operators assign the same long address to every locomotive in a consist.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of such an arrangement?
Rich
Rich:
The only advantage I can see is that giving them all the same number would enable you to run a consist on a system like the Bachmann EZCommand that doesn’t support consisting.
I use the lead engine address for the consist address. That is easy to do with Digitrax. I have no experience with other systems.
My boys and I do this in a couple of situations. Specifically using the same address works just fine if the locos in question are always going to stay together. We do it for the powered units front and back of my son’s Eurostar train-set.
Headlight control is the biggest difference between an advanced consist and giving every locomotive the same address. With advanced consisting only the lead locomotive’s headlight will come on. Giving every engine the same address results in all the headlights being on.
If you have sound decoders, an advanced consist will sound the horn and bell on only the lead engine – with all set to the same address every bell and horn will activate.
What system are you running?
If it’s anything other than the cheapest systems you can simply consist using the loco’s normal address. The lead loco’s address becomes the consist address. Advanced consisting is a little different but I would suggest the older method where the controller handles everything.
Sorry, I should have mentioned that.
I am using an NCE Power House Pro 5 amp system.
Rich
My impression on this is that the system being used is not the issue. The fact that he has several locos with the same unit number is.
Correct, in the Eurostar example I wired up red LED’s as the head light in one unit, white as the rear light and reversed this for the unit on the other end of the train. So when it goes forwards in either direction the whilte LED’s are on the front, red on the back. It works great, but this is a very specific situation where using the same number works. All our other consists are made via the throttle with the lead loco as the consist number.
Yes, I think that is the main problem. You should renumber your locos for best results. Another option is change one of the numbers with a bit of paint. You can make a 6 into an 8 etc., or remove one digit from the number, things like that.
NCE advanced consisting is really easy. You should read up on it in the manual. You will find out that you can control the same consist with one of three addresses, and the reverse lighting will be taken care of for you.
There is one time when I change a loco’s address to the same as another for consisting purposes, and that is when I take a consist to our club layout which uses Digitrax.
That is one way of doing it. Me sometime, I will run an advance consist built on my NCE system, by the consist number, when running this advance consist on the club Digitrax system. Or most of the time I will kill the consist built with my NCE system and built a new Universal consist when on the club layout. Building a Universal consist with Digitrax is very easy and quick.
I should clarify something. I am not having any problems with consisting on my NCE system, and I do have separate, distinct road numbers for each loco. I assign the lead loco as part of an Advanced Consist, and set a unique consist number. On the throttle, the lead loco road number shows up as the consist number.
I only posted the thread to learn if others use the same long address for each loco in a consist and what the advantages and disadvantages of such an arrangement may be.
Rich
In your original post I believe you said that “Since some locomotives have the same road number, I have to make some exceptions to that general rule”. Maybe we misunderstood what you meant.
I personally see no advantage to giving all locos in a consist the same long address. What happens when you want to break up the consist and use the locos in another consist? That would mean that all the duplicate loco numbers would have to be changed, either back to their cab numbers or to the new consist lead loco long address.
So if you try to reprogram unit 2000 to some other number and forget to remove from the track or otherwise isolate all the other duplicate units 2000s, you’ll have them all reprogrammed to another number whether you intended to do that or not. Too much confusion.
Oh, I see the problem. Thanks, maxman.
No, what I meant was this. As an example, I have two identical F7AB units with the same cab number (38). The B units are dummies. So, I assigned 381 and 382 to the two A units to get around the same cab number (38).
Rich
Rich:
I did the same thing. I have an F3 ABBA set, all powered and all bearing the number 660. I assigned them 661, 662 ,663,& 664. Then I used 660 for the consist address.
Nice. That is a clever way to handle the issue.
With NCE, I cannot do this since the consist number cannot be higher than 127.
Rich
Rich.
I have several sets of locos that are run together all the time set to the same address. Most of them are not sound equipped. On the front and rear loco I remap the rear headlight to F3. On all the other locos the front and rear lights are remapped to F3 also. On the sound equipped locos the following locos bell and whistles are set to minimum volume and the headlights are mapped to F3.
Consisting several sets of locos using advanced consist is fun. With NCE you can easily old consist several consists of locos easily.
The downside to same address consisting is that they can not be broken up on the mainline without re-addressing them. And having to deal with the headlights and sound issues.
Pete
Pete, those are all good points.
Thanks.
Rich
With NCE, you can do it this way:
1- Consist two or three sets of locos together using the Advanced consisting method.
2- Then you can consist two or three of those loco sets together by using the Old consist method. The two or three sets of locos will then run as one.
This has the advantage that you can break out any or all locos if you want to without re-programming.
Very interesting.
Thanks, Elmer.
Rich
Yes nesting consists is very handy. On our Digitrax powered club layout we use this method to manage helpers movements.