OK, planning phase finally almost over and now the part that hurts, spending the hard eared cash!
The layout will be an island 4’X8’, do I need wireless? Or better off saving the money for an extra cab? It will be a solo operation for now but I have purposely built this for operation so might invite people over for sessions later.
I know I can convert to wireless later but I think it’s cheaper get a wireless pack if I want wireless…
Any opinion will be apprecaited!
Only if you plan to operate from both sides of the layout. Even then you could probably get by with a throttle teathered to one end to allow you to reach either side. I love my wireless but I have a large around the room layout and didn’t want to be constantly plugging and unplugging throttles. Wireless gives you a lot of freedom on a big layout. If you ever build a bigger layout, you can always add a wireless throttle then.
On my 4 x8 I have 3 throttle jacks ($15 ea)–one each in each of the operating areas. You simply unplug the throttle and walk to the next station and plug in. Each person operating will need a throttle, but that doesn’t change with radio.
My answer is radio is over-kill.
Put a plug in panel in the middle of each 8’ side. Most of the DCC companies have a panel for about $15 so put one on every side if you want. Since you can unplug and re-connect most tethered throttle systems without interrupting the train running it won’t be a huge inconvenience. The cost of adding wireless later is really going to depend on the brand. Digitrax for example charges $50 per throttle to convert a non wireless to a wireless throttle. That is basically the same price difference as buying the wireless version up front. The wireless receiver is going to cost the same if you buy it now or later. So in the Digitrax world there is no real cost penalty in adding the wireless later. You will need to check about conversion of non wireless throttles with the other brands as I don’t know for them.
Yes, it may appear to be “over-kill”, but, once you have it you will be so glad you do. The freedom of radio is such a pleasure. I’ve called it a “luxury”, and maybe it is, but sometimes certain luxuries can be very enjoyble.
Mine is a 6’ x 18’ island, so certainly more perimeter to travel than a 4’ x 8’, but I don’t care what size my layout would be, if I have to walk around it I definitely want radio. I went to the expense of installing throttle jacks around my layout ($60). Not a big expense but now totally wasted as I never want to use my tethered throttles any more.
And if you have several operators, tangled and criss-crossed wires can be a real nuisance.
Yes, it’s over-kill, more expensive and a bit of a luxury, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, assuming it’s affordable for you.
On a N Scale 4x8 foot layout and IMHO wireless is the only way to go if you access to all sides because it cuts down on wiring throttle jacks for multiple train operation by 2 or more operators…
My radio DCC is the best toy in the train room. The ability to walk around with the engine is wonderfu. I have tethered and IR but neither is close to the fun of radio. Now that its paid for the cost isn’t even a factor.
Wireless is sort of like DCC. Once one converts they wonder why they didn’t do it sooner; howerver, the question ask was do you “need” it. Well, no one really needs any of these toy train things. …[:-^]
The only time I wouldn’t recommend wireless it is if you are the only operator and plan on sitting or standing in one spot to operate the layout. If you want to walk around to the other side with the train, wireless is a very freeing technology. The other factor is number of operators, as soon as one mixes two operators with teathered throttles, the tripping over one another begins. Our club once had 15 wired throttles, every isleway became a spagetti mess. If you are going to be the only operator, unpluging and repluging on the other side of the layout isn’t that big of a deal.
Would agree with all above. Our club layout is so large, a tethered throttle is impractical, but even for my planned future home layout, I’ve thought since starting back into the hobby early last year that radio control is only way to go, but it is admittedly a further cost jump to do so.
Jim
Hahaha, you got a point! We all really don’t ‘need’ this train thing to begin with! LOL
OK, because it’s going to be my real and medium size layout where I strategically places a number of different industry around the layout so I can get into this ‘realistic operation’ thingy, I really don’t know how faror how close to the trains when I am doing a fly switch right at the far corner of the other side, so hence the question of if I would need it…so from the limited description, do you think it’s likely that I would need to need to going right around the layout to do the switching ‘operations’ etc? I have also designed it so I can have multiple operators since there are multiple industries scattered everywhere for plenty of opportunities to do ‘realistic operations’ but most of the time, it would be just me and may be once a month my bro might come and do a session with me. So is it w