I AM NOW GETTING BACK INTO RAILROODING AFTER RAISING MY FAMILY AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL 5 OR MORE TRAINS ALONG WITH SWITCHES AND ACCESSORIES
YOU CAN REACH ME AT HKALLEN80@MSN.COM I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP I CAN GET
THANK YOU
Hello Allen,
You asked for the best way to control five or more trains, as well as turnouts and accessories. Look into Digital Command Control (DCC). A DCC system (there are several good ones on the market) provides flexibility and ease of operation. Although the initial cost is relatively high compared to a cab-control system (where you control power to track blocks with switches – you’d need rotary switches to allow five or more trains to operate independently), and there is a bit of a learning curve, DCC will let you operate dozens of trains independently on the same track.
Here are a couple links to stories on Trains.com that will help you get a better understanding of DCC:
“DCC: what it is and what it does” – http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/001/371ghltj.asp
“DCC byer’s guide” – http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/001/934azhpm.asp
DCC manufacturers and suppliers – http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/001/946ycdjs.asp.
Hope this helps,
Paul Schmidt
Contributing editor
Trains.com