I know this question must have been asked and answered before but I couldn’t find it in the post.
Can I run a DC loco on a DCC layout without damage to the unit and can I likewise run a DCC loco on a DC layout without damage to the decoder.
Thanks for the help. Phil
Yes, but you shouldn’t do it for any length of time. Most DCC systems can run one loco without a decoder on address 0, but you’ll notice the motor buzzing all the time and I’ve read that it can cause overheating and other unwanted side effects. Hope this is of use!
I assume you mean run a DC locomotive on a DCC layout?
That answer is “Yes, sort of.” You can run 1 locomotive as “Engine #0” in a DCC system. What you actually do is go back to “running the track,” though. The engine will go forward and reverse, and you can control its speed. However, the direction will be just like DC - forward will really mean “from left to right on this section of track,” and reverse will mean “from right to left” on the same section of track.
You can not add a DC locomotive to a multi-unit consist. If you have reverser units, the DC locomotive will go into ping-pong mode when it gets there.
Finally, the DC locomotive will have an irritating buzzing sound, whether it’s running or not. The jury is still out on whether doing this long-term can harm the engine, but enough people have said “doing this fried my engine” that I wouldn’t run like that for a long period of time, and I certainly wouldn’t leave a DC engine idling for longer than a minute or two.
I ran a Atlas GP40 many times, once for over 6 hours straight on a DCC layout and no decoder in the loco. When I joined my club this was the only loco I had. It never heated up or had any type of damage done to it but the motor did buzz a bit. I have since added a decoder to it and it runs just as good as before and the buzz is gone. Digitrax and Atlas both said I could run it when I emailed them about running a non DCC loco on a DCC layout.
The overheating problem, from what I gather in the manufacturer warnings, will more likely occur on a Parked loco on a live DCC track… The thing to remember is that you are feeding a (relatively) high frequency AC signal on a DCC line and the buzzing you hear in the motor is the armature rapidly moving back and fourth… Each DCC packet or command on the line contains a Stretched Zero, both positve and negative. When they match (speed = 0) they will cancel each other out… When you dial up the speed on a non dcc loco you are further stretching Either the positive or the negative side and that is what will determine the direction your non-dcc loco will run… Just like the direction switch on your power pack.
Maybe this will help more as it has some visuals…
http://loystoys.com/info/how-dcc-works.html
Jeff
The best all around advice I’ve found is don’t do it. The frequencies that DC and DCC run on are so entirely different, that it really doesn’t do the DC motor any good at all. Some will run on DCC, some will not. Most however, will not run correctly. The best thing I can tell you is to call Digitrax and get their take on it. Dave’s a real nice feller, and he’ll be glad to fill you in.
While most DCC systems will let you run one non-decoder equipped loco on address zero, the performance is just okay and the loco makes harmonic noises as you change the throttle. I consider it more of a stunt than a really useful feature.
A decoder equipped loco will run on a DC layout if you have the analog conversion option set on. This works okay, and is kind of handy if you need to take your locos back and forth between DCC and DC layouts. However, while operating on a DCC layout, I recommend you turn analog conversion off since it can cause some erratic loco behavior on a DCC layout once in a while.
With the price of a DH123D decoder from Tony’s Trains Exchange down to $15.95, I can’t think of a good reason to run a straight DC loco on a DCC layout. With the price of a fleet decoder these days being about the price of a single new railcar, the cost of converting your fleet of locos to DCC isn’t any more expensive than a train or two of new cars for your layout.
You will find it a most unsatisfying experience. I do not recommend it.
Thanks for the help guys. I may just have to invest in decoders and loco’s so equiped in the future. Phil
Equipping all your locomotives with decoders is one of the best investments you can make. You will get more out of them and enjoy every one more. Once you give an engine its “address,” it’s almost like giving it a personality.