first controller??? which one should i get???

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

i will want to run multiple trains at once but do not have a lot of money…what kind of controller should i get?

2

ryan,

Some quick but important questions for you first:

  • Are you talking about DC or DCC?

  • How big is your layout or how big will it be?

  • When you say “multiple”, are you meaning MU’d locomotives or one’s in a consist? Or, do you mean several single (un-MU’d) locomotives running simultaneously?

  • How many locomotives will you be running at a given time?

  • Will any of them have sound?
    Tom

3

What scale?

It would not be the first time that a lengthy discussion ensues only to discover that the OP is planning a 3 rail Lionel layout!

4

its a n scale layout. i am using two boards that are 8ft in length and 4ft high. So you can say 16x8 piece of board? What is the difference between DC and DCC? i want to be able to park engines in the yard, run different engines at different speeds on different lines.

5

i am not worried about sound right now. i want to have a total of 5 or six locomotives

6

Start with a Model Power Tech 4 dual control DC controller. Once you have your layout up and running with no problems this way, you can then decide if you want to switch over to DCC.

7

will i only be able to run one engine at a time?

8

If you want more than one engine on the layout at a time, you are going to have to learn some about wiring - regardless of DC or DCC.

DC multi-train operation:

  • no modifications to locomotives
  • sections of track (often called blocks) are isolated electrically. Only one engine (or consist) in a block at a time.
  • electrical switches (often called block toggles) are wired to each block to select which throttle (power pack or controller) controls that block of track
  • block toggles are set so that one throttle controls a given train/engine on the layout where ever it goes
  • if multiple trains are sharing the same track, continual resetting of block toggles for the correct throttle can get awkward unless special wiring is used
  • handing off a train from one throttle to another throttle while train is in motion is not a great idea
  • DC throttles are generally cheaper than DCC equivalents, and you can build your own or buy
  • one throttle for each train running at the same time
  • a Dual power pack with 2 throttles is rather awkward for 2 people to use simultaneously

DCC multi-train operation:

  • each engine must have a decoder installed in it - decent decoders are $15 and up. You can install decoders yourself; it may take some soldering and fitting in some older engines. Newer engines often have a plug for a decoder to plug into. You can now readily buy good engines with decoders installed at the factory.
  • you select which engine you want to control on the DCC throttle
  • controlling more than one engine from a single DCC thr
9

thank you very much. you helped me a lot