hey all. my name is derek. i have 3 norfolk western locos. they are: broadway j(611 of course), proto 2000 y3 (latest release) and a pcm y6b. i am in the market for a dcc system and was wondering if the zephyr would be suitable for these dcc and sound equipped locos. Of course i intend on purchasing more locos in the near future, like a class a in the upcoming summer and numerous others over time. what do u think? wasting money on a cheap zephyr or should i spend a little more on a the empire builder or a chief? also what about access to the sound functions as well as any others i may not be able to use with the zephyr? thanks for all response.
I have a Zephyr and when it took 11 HO locomotives to shut it down I quit worring about it. Some engines were QSI sound some Soundtraxx and I think one or two were decoder equiped. I have no trouble programing QSI engines. I use a UT4R throttle which gives me function 0 through 12. Zephyr is 0 through 9. Go wireless. You will love it.
Ralph Hougesen
thanks for the reply. i was reading some other forums and i think a zephyr would be sufficient for me for now. so i can have access to all functions by adding a throttle? the number of functions is not controlled by the command center? its done through the throttle? and i was reading about being able to read back when changing the cv codes. i want to be able to read instead of doing it blind. sorry i’m new to all this. and also can i add (or should i) short circuit protection or additional boosters? would this be more expensive than purchasing the s.e.b.?
Derek,
If you are set on Digitrax, the Zephyr should be just fine for you. It’s a very good DCC system that has some nice features to it and is easily expandable. (In particular, the RG-232 port for connecting your computer to your Zephyr. [tup])
You can also add certain Digitrax throttles to it that will open up some additional capabilities. I personally have the NCE Power Cab and have been very pleased with it, too. There are some nice DCC systems out there on the market.
Derek, no matter what you get, DCC is just downright fun to use. [:)] Keep us posted what you end up doing…
Tom
I chose the super chief over the zephyr because the DT400 throttle I like to use is pretty expensive by itself to add to a zephyr . I also have a consist of F7 units in the ABBA that probably will draw more power than the zephyr can provide.
The zephyr is a good basic unit and will probably serve you well. After you move into the bigger control systems you can still use the zephyr on the yard or some area of the railroad while the bigger control runs the rest.
Get radio if you can. Stay away from the Empire builder, you will eventually want to read CVs. The UT4R is the throttle for guests. The DT400R is wonderful for running two trains at once with one opperator. I went with the Superchief from the start and saved money in the long run.
I don’t know what RG-232 is unless you mean RS-232, There is NO port on the Zephyr for a computer connection; you have to get a LocoBuffer-USB (or another product) that connects to the Locobus in order to connect a computer to the Zephyr (about $ 64).
I just got a Zephyr and LocoBuffer-USB for use on my work bench; it is a good product. I run my layout with a Prodigy Advance; and really like it. I would have gotten another PA for the bench except, at present, there is no computer interface for the PA.
How your layout is set up and how you will operate will factor into the decision for which DCC system to use. The PA and Power Cab are handheld throttles with about 6’ cords (expandable) and the Zephyr is a “Shelf” unit, not really designed for hand held use (it can be hand held). Since I use several engines in an operating session; the stack feature on the PA really makes operating more fun. If possible, try out several units (hobby shop, friend or club layout) before you buy.
The Empire Builder is a good mid range system, you just cannot read decoders which you would want to do anyway.
A customer came to the LHS some time ago with a Zephyr that was not behaving correctly, I probably will learn later on the reason for it. But at the time it looked like he would have to send it to Digitrax for diagnosis and repair. It was very disappointing to him because he really enjoyed his DCC.
I also plan to use the computer to get into my DCC engines, but if the engines forget the data in the field they may be unable to get to the computer for the rest of the day. I carry one or two spare locomotives just in case.
Yes. while the Zephyr only allows 0-9, add a throttle and you’ve got thru 12. As others have said, the DT400 is neat because it has two throttles… two locos in one hand. The DT400R is even better because it’s radio controlled, but you need the radio receiver plug in module to run it wireless. As Art said, at some point the Super Chief may become more cost effective than the Zephyr with add-ons – if you can afford it out of the box.
Zephyr or Super Chief let you read on a program track. Not the SEB.
I’d say wait til you need them. I run a Zephyr with no short circuit protect (I actually like my whole layout to stop when something causes a short since I operate alone), and no booster — I have run 8 locomotives at once (4 with sound), and it had all the power I needed.
One thing that can be confusing with a DCC system like the Zephyr is that you need to remember it’s expandable. You can start with just the Zephyr and later add walkaround, power boosters, etc. as needed. It’s not like you’re going to use the Z for a year or two and then have to trash it to ‘upgrade’ to something bigger.
Thanks, Alan. I always seem to goof that one up.
Tom
thank u very much. and thanks to all that replied. i have all the answers that i was looking for. these forums sure are helpful. happy railroading to all.