Super Chief and Prodigy. Have NOT purchased and decoders yet. Have 15 engines most are Rivarossi old design.
Well, since you already have them both, I would suggest keeping the Digitrax and selling the Prodigy. The Digitrax Super Chief is light years beyond the basic Prodigy in terms of features and capabilities. Unfortunately, the Prodigy does not allow programming of all CV’s so you couldn’t even keep it to use at the bench as a programming and test station. You could use it to test run locos after installing decoders, but you can’t even program 4-digit addresses with it so the utility is quite limited.
–Randy
Thank You. I will have a BUNCH of extra things to sell when this is over. I am using code 83 and Atlas Custom line turnouts (I THINK only bought a sample of one). The Under table Atlas machine with the realy looks like what I will use along with the Atlas decoder for the turnouts. This is OLD SCHOOL and I was thinking of looking onto Peco or other brands. Needing 86 pieces it will be a few dollers to get them.
I’ve used Atlas turnouts before, and I’m using them again with my current layout. Code 83 this time. I have always been happy with them. I don;t use the Atlas machines though - I use Circuitron Tortoises to run them. Mounts under the table (well, in my case, kinda IN the table, I mount them fromt he top in my foam base) and they move nice and slow liek the real thing. Plus, they draw VERY little power. a 1 amp power supply can drive nearly 100 of them! And they have TWO sets of contacts on them, for signal control and powering the frog. And that’s not all Bob! [:D] If you power them with 12v DC, you can stick a pair of LEDs in series with the Tortoise motor leads to have handy panel indicator lights. No resistors needed - the internal resistance of the Tortoise is exactly perfect.
Easier to control with DCC, too, there are any number of stationary decoders that can drive a Tortoise. My personal favorite is the NCE Switch-It, very inexpensive plus you can hook pushbuttons to it for manual control as well as sending the switch commands fromt he DCC control (which never struck me as very intuitive, regardless of what brand of DCC equipment is is).
–Randy
I have heard a lot of good things about Circuitron Tortoises. I will check into my cost on them. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. My expertise is cars and the leather in them.
Interesting, this might call for a poll on the main board.
There are TONS of peopel involved with model railroading who are also car enthusiasts of some sort. Quite interesting.
Beware, Tortoises aren’t exactly ‘cheap’ (they are usualy more expensive than the Atlas turnouts). But I find them well worth the cost. And you usually get what you pay for (in general).
–Randy
I just traded the New Prodigy for a Super Chief because the new Prodigy won’t run in DC like the original Prodigy. The Digitrax is a little more complicated, but you can re program the decoders to your liking, and have much more control of your layout.
kennyt47,
so you didn’t like the new feature of the Prodigy: the LCD screen?
NCE does not have any recommendations against wiring a regular section of track as a programing track thru a DPDT. In fact they have a schematic for doing so on p17 of the system manual which can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.ncedcc.com/pdf/ph5.pdf
on power routing turnouts - it is highly recommended to NOT do so with DCC.
You can use power-routing turnouts on DCC with no problems, so long as you follow a couple of simple principles. First is to make sure you power the turnout from the point end; second is to have gaps at the frog end, either right by the frog or at the end of the turnout itself. I have a mix of power-routing and all-live turnouts on my layout, and don’t have any problems with the p-r ones so long as I’ve followed these principles.