An NCE Power Cab was waiting on the porch when I got home today. Expecting it to arrive early this week I had installed a Soundtraxx decoder and a speaker in my CF7 the other night. I plugged up a few things, set the CF7 on the tracks and started operating with sound. Everything worked great. Then I re-assigned the locomoitive number to 2600 and adjusted the exhaust sound volume just like the instructions said and that actually worked too! I like the sound but even better is the way the CF7 runs. It ran well on DC but much better now and the precice control is fantastic. I’m using it on a portable Timesaver layout. A DCC system may seem like overkill on such a small layout with just one locomotive but it runs that locomotive so well it’s not overkill at all to me. My Timesaver will be operated by people unfamiliar with model trains and they can run the locomotive with just one button, just set the speed to a low setting and use the direction button. If anyone gets confused or just needs to stop for a moment they can just hit the red stop button. Everything starts back up by moving the throttle. See you all later. Got to go switch some more boxcars around an blow the horn a little too. Bruce
Congratulations, Bruce! [:)][tup] Keep us posted…
Tom
I’ll hopefully get DCC around xmas time, probably NCE or MRC.
Thanks for sharing [:)]
I’m glad your DCC experience has been so positive right from the start. I love my Lenz system too.
I’ve also got a fairly small layout, only 5x12 feet in HO. I think DCC does a lot for a small layout, because it’s really not possible to wire up a small layout with lots of blocks in DC, so it’s hard to run multiple engines. On the other hand, with DCC it’s a snap. In fact, I find that the limiting factor is not the layout or the control system, but how many trains I can juggle without throwing a turnout wrong or letting them get to close to each other.
OK here is a question for all you folk.
If DCC is such an improvement for controling model trains, what should I wire up.
My layout is a 4’X6.5’ affair depicting a branch line that sees one sceduled train daily with extras running during the grain rush. and Daily passenger service provided by RDC.
So since when I obtained my DCC system I was given three decoders with it, would you reccomend wiring up a locomotive and my RDC and having at it?
James
Answer to the question, “What should I wire up?” – Everything.
Seriously, while most DCC systems will allow you to run a single DC locomotive on them as well, it really doesn’t do the locomotive any good.
Problem I have though.
115 locomoives. 3 decoders.
James,
As of right now I’ve only had about three hours using DCC. While you can wire up all kinds of things and do lots of stuff with DCC I’m still clueless about most of it. What got me was how smooth and controlable my locomotive is. It was a darn nice running locomotive to begin with but the DCC really enhanced it. All I did was fool around with the starting voltage, speed curves and momentum until I got a combination that I liked. Still the loco ran better than it did on DC right off with the default settings. You should wire up one locomotive and see what you think. If your results are anything like mine you’ll be impressed. I can’t wait to get some more decoders and see what happens with some of my other locos. Bruce
Big Sky,
My advice is to walk with your head down alot! You’re going to have to save every penny you can find in the mall parking lot! LOL
I know it may break your heart, but you might consider selling off some of you older, less-well-liked locomotives to get enough money to convert the remaining locos to DCC. I am facing pretty much the same problem if I convert to DCC: too many locos, not enough money! In my case, many of my locos are older models and probably aren’t worth converting. Unless I get lucky when selling them, I figure I’ll need to sell TWO locos for every one that I convert! Not a great ratio, but it will help protect my bank account!
Not the advice you wanted to hear, I’ll bet!
Darrell, quiet…for now
When I pulled my trains out of their 40-year slumber in the attic, I found that most of the locomotives still ran, but very poorly. Still, I made the attempt to put DCC into most of them, but only one ran well enough to keep its decoder. I converted a couple of the others to dummies, so they’ve still got a place in consists.
Likewise, my old rolling stock had horn-hook couplers. I’ve been slowly converting them as time goes by, but my yard is really full, so I don’t feel the need to add more cars. I’ve got a hard-and-fast rule about not allowing any horn-hooks on my layout, so I’ve still got boxes of cars on the floor that won’t run any time soon.
With 3 decoders, I’d do one road engine, one switcher and the RDC. While you’ve got the shell off, install LED headlights if you haven’t already. I just love that bright beam of light coming around the curve when I run the trains in the dark.