How difficult is it to set up a DCC layout? I’m new to the hobby and need something less stressful than my real job. Law Enforcement. Had a standard train set as a kid but never had the space or time to set one up properly. Any tips would be appreciated
I would do a search of these forums. There is a wealth of information here. And not a better place on the planet to get this information FREE!
[#welcome]
spc,
First off: [#welcome] to the forum! Good to have you aboard! [:)] And THANK YOU for the job that you do for us citizens. [^][tup]
To be honest, setting up for DCC can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. I have a small 4 x 8 layout and only have two feeder wires (~26 or 28 AWG) powering my track in one spot. (And I’ve been running my layout this way for nearly for 4 years now.) It’s not the ideal…but it works fine for now - until I put in a proper power bus.
A couple of good references worth checking out:
- DCC for Beginners - A good primer from Tony’s Train Exchange on how DCC works and what it takes to set it up. You can either read it online or download it as a .pdf file and print it out from your computer.
- DCC Made Easy (Lionel Strang/Kalmbach Publishing) - Lionel does a terrific job of taking so-called “complicated” topics and explaining them in very understandable terms. This can be bought online or from you local hobby store (LHS).
spc, do you already have a DCC system or one picked out yet? If not, let us know when you get to that point. There are a number of good DCC systems to chose from. Everyone of them has their pros and cons.
Thanks for visiting. Hope that helps…
Tom
Welcome! You will be way ahead if you take the advice given. Get a couple of books on DCC and study them. DCC is not hard to wire to the layout. It’s divided into a few catagories. For one, the proper way to install the main track wiring is to put in a buss wire that feeds around the entire layout with connections to the track about every 10 feet. One wire to one rail and the other wire to the other rail every ten feet. The buss wire should be as heavy as 18 gauge around the layout with the feeder wires to the rail at least 20 -22 gauge. The wires will get the power from the command station. The command station needs a power source. I use one called “magna force” on my digitrax DCC system which powers the command station.
Then there’s a separate track called the programming track. The programming track also feeds from the command station and it is used to program your decoders before setting them on the main.
Once you have the buss wire in place and a programming track connected to the command station, you’re all set to go. All you’ll have to do is install a decoder in your locomotive if it doesn’t come with one, program the locomotive to an address, and adjust the CV’s to perform the tasks you want your locomotive to do. (Lighting effects, speed control, sound control if so equipped, ect…) and your layout is now running on DCC.
A few more things you also want to consider is: do you have a reversing loop, turntable, or wye on your layout? These will require reversing units to keep the polarity right. Another thing you may want to install is short protection. A circuit breaker should be installed between the command station and the track so that if a hard short occurs, you won’t burn up your equipment. Tony’s Trains sells an excellent circuit breaker and i would highly recommend you install one. There is another trick for short protec
My layout which is now DCC was originally a DC layout with all the electrical blocking you would expect. All I had to do to convert it to DCC was to disconnect one of the power packs and connect the DCC system in it’s place. A purely DCC layout would be much simpler than mine because no blocking is needed. Just a continous run of track in whatever configuration you want, add feeder wires about every 6 feet and you’re set.
Sir, there is a lot of thoughtful advice offered already.
You are seeking a break during the off hours so that you can unwind and find a safe place to be. That much I understand. It will be yet another source of despair, lost hope, frustration, and general failure if you don’t do yourself a huge favour and decide that part of the break and relief you need will be in taking the time to get educated so that you can actually have fun…first. That much should hopefully be clear to you by now. First things first, most especially in this hobby. You’ll get lots of help here, but you have to “write the actual test,” if you follow…you have to put it all together so that you can enjoy what you produce.
I wanted to reinforce that point, because I know it is true. Secondly, don’t go cheap. If you are tight for cash, or are simply unwilling to spend about $500 right off the top, you might as well find something else…even fishing is expensive. My point is to buy quality engines, rolling stock, maybe a couple of ready-built structures/buildings to populate your train layout, and you’ll need a supporting structure or surface. You will also need a power supply, a variable one, to run the engines. Maybe you will find that you enjoy putting kits together…model building. Eventually, you may find that you can use raw materials and build your own structures…it may become what the hobby is for you, and the trains thing will become secondary…it happens.
This should be a fun and exciting time, but it tends to make us impulsive in a rush to realize our fantasy that we have created. Almost to a person, each of us learns a bit late that we didn’t know enough to stop from making a few errors. Few of us make catastrophic errors if we enjoy the learning part first.
Welcome, and I hope you have a blast.
By the way, a simple starter system in DCC control can be ha
Welcome!!!
Being new to this myself, and for some of the same reasons, I work as a heavy trauma EMT and found this a great way to relax and to build a small world that I’m the Mayor of…LOL!
In my town, I make the rules, I build the town, I say who lives in my diorama and who don’t, my town has little crime, Due to the well stocked police and swat department vehicles.
My town is not a Norman Rockwell town but will show the real lives of struggling Native American People.
I wish you all the best in your new hobby, and since you will be the Mayor of your town you can build and do what ever you want with it.
One of my scenes is going to be a tribute to the three weeks the National Guard sealed off our reservation from the rest of the world.
I have all ready got all my National Guard trucks ready to put down the social unrest of the Northern Blackfeet Nation…ahhh, what fun, a hobby that I can also use to make a political statement…I love America!!!
Assuming you purchase a loco with DCC already built in, it is not difficult at all. Connect the DCC unit to the track with two wires. Put the DCC loco on the track. Call up channel #3 on the controller. Run the loco.
For running the second (and third, etc.) loco is it slightly more complex because you first need to change the address of the new loco. The exact way to do this depends on the DCC unit you choose and the loco chosen.
As you can see from the above paragraph the second locomotive is much more easy in DCC than it ever was in DC with all those track blocks and cab control switches. Likewise reversing loops are much more easy too.
It can get more difficult if you decide to buy non-DCC locos and try to install the electronics yourself. But even that isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be in the old days. The new elecronics are small and often just plug in.
It only gets confusing if you try to do fancy things.