Last weekend was my first operational experience with DCC. Our HOn3 modular group set up a large point-to-point (40 x 45ft) layout at the Great Train Exposition. A few of my reactions, having used DC for years in HO and HOn3 at home:
We generally had about 5 trains operating at any given time. Very basic switch lists were provided for those who wanted to do some switching. Others simply made up a train at a terminal, ran to one of the other 2 terminals, turned their train, and returned. NCE is the club standard. Practice is to have a circuit breaker for each module set to avoid shutting down the layout if/when a short happens.
For the “loose” operating style we used – no dispatcher and no timetable – DCC was an ideal control system. On a single track layout with multiple possible configurations and multiple trains operating in close proximity, a DC setup would take a lot more pre-planning and more structured operations. OTOH, DCC was not without its issues.
The extra expense is significant compared to DC (to me). Basically, each club member provides his own throttle. If the engine is not fro
I’d agree that sounds like a balanced and fair evaluation. I’ve picked out two of the issues you mentioned, just to point out that they’re unique to this situation, and don’t necessarily always hold true when it comes to DCC.
First is the “circuit breakers for each module” thing. That’s apparently some sort of a club convention, because it’s not a DCC requirement. I’ve operated on modular setups using DCC that didn’t have any circuit breakers whatsoever.
The second item, cab addresses, is specific to particular brands of DCC systems, and is not a DCC requirement. For example, Digitrax doesn’t use them, and in fact has no concept of a “cab number” .
I’m glad you enjoyed operating on that large setup. I’ve operated on a couple rather large layouts, and although not modular, you’re right, it’s a blast!
Sounds like you gave fair play to both without a rant for one or the other.
There are,and probably will always be, two camps: DC and DCC as long as both are sold. A third camp-those who can moderate between the two- maybe in there too.
The multiple circuit breaker thing to me sounded in excess. Glad someone else pointed that out. SO did the cab thing, but I have never operated with more than one cab. I only operate solo.SO that I didn’'t know, but only once heard of with that unit, and not with others.
I happen to enjoy my Bachmman EZ Command DCC COntroller. It Suits my needs for now. I like DCC for being able to control the individual loco{s} rather than the track, and that is all, I guess. Oh, and for the simpler wiring. No blocks. I essentially at first just connected 2 wires to my small layout. Couldn’t be simpler than that. I have no shorts or reversing loops or wyes.THen, later, I added a few “feeders” to be sure of continuity of signal.
Well, thank you for a club’s operations perspective!
Fred, that was an excellent description of club operations. Thanks for that.
I would agree that if you operate at home as a one man show, one train at a time, that DC is the easier and cheaper route. But even as a one man show at home, DCC does provide the distinct advantage of operating multiple trains at the same time without the need for block wiring or flipping switches.
The circuit breake rper module idea seems a bit of an overkill, although I cna see it helping if some members aren;t as good at wiring as others. I DO hope that’s a bit stretched though, say if I owned 3 modules I brought to the show, I could use one breaker across all 3 of my modules and only isolate where it joins to othe rmember’s.
Our modular group runs with a limited set of breakers, for what amounts to a 28x120 or so setup if all modules are used. Generally though all modules are wired by the same crew, although indivuduals may do the actual construction of various modules. We do have a few club owned throttles for those that do not have their own, or use a different DCC system or DC at home and thus do not have any. Most regulars at shows do have their own. There are some club-owned locos with decoders, but most runnign equipment at shows belongs to individual members. Since I run DCC on my home layout, mine already have decoders. Others, even non-DCC users, have purchased one or more sound locos over the past few years, which they love to bring to shows because on the DCC layout they can fully access all the features. We also have a dedicated programming station provided for of flayotu programming, for those shows that I attend I also bring my laptop with JMRI and program track to make it easier to configure the sound locos. So far there has not been much of an issue with address conflicts, even though several people have the same locos. This is also helpeed by the fact that the layout used to be DC and the major holding tracks still have toggles to power them off - rules are to turn off power to your train when done runnign it, that way if someone else wants to run a loco with the same number, your train will stay put. There are enough parking spots that so far we haven’t had conflicts where someone wants to run a train and there is no place for them to put it, although since switchign to DCC we have a lot more people coming out for shows. We are also fully signaled and opera
It’s not a circuit breaker per module, it’s a circuit breaker per module set. Because HOn3 Free-mo is single track, it typically takes 2-4 sections of 3-6ft length each to make up a module (set). That gives enough total length to have a decent passing track, town or other facilities. The end of the module set must meet Free-mo specs (centered single track), but the section joints in between the 2 module ends do not.
This means a yard, a town, or other logical track grouping (typically 12-16ft long) has its own circuit breaker, and operation can continue there even when the adjoining module set is shorted (usually operator error or other turnout problem). And the boundary is pretty easy to see.
The circuit breaker per module - with module being defined as all track between 2 Free-mo ends regardless of how many sections - is a recommended practice, not a requirement.
HOn3 needs powered frogs due to the short wheelbases of the locomotives. So shorts are a little more common - whether from failing to line turnout in advance, or make before break Tortoise contacts - than with Atlas or Insulfrog turnouts in standard gauge.
True. But nearly every other brand of DCC does use cab addresses. Tracking the cab addresses to make sure there are no duplicates is necessary for successful club ops on non-Digitrax setups. Most clubs I know of using NCE permanently assign a unique cab number to each member.
This may sound odd coming from a committed Analog DC operator, but the description gave a very good background for the logic of DCC for “uncontrolled” operation over diverse modules that won’t always be assembled in the same manner. The “breaker per zone (MZL-speak)” makes excellent sense in a show situation, where the mundanes (and observing rails) want to see SOMETHING in operation at all times. Only troubleshooting freaks are interested in the mechanics of sorting out a glitch.
I still wonder if having a single DS would have worked. Of course, then you would have had communication problems…
Glad you enjoyed the experience. However, like ice dancing, it’s a place where I, personally, will never go.
Well balanced post! My club uses Lenz. Their throttles are pricy to say the least. We also have the CVP wireless throttles for Lenz with 4 club owned throttles. This has helped members that do not have the disposable income for a throttle to use.
Decoders are cheaper now then they have ever been. You don’t need expensive sound decoders when just a motor decoder will do. Most of my 70 + decoders are simple motor and lights. I do most of the club decoder instals. I do not charge for this service. If there is someone in your club that likes doing decoder instals perhaps he or she will do the instals for you if you feel uncomfortable doing it? I even instal decoders for other clubs in the area. Most of my customers want to give me a few bucks for my trouble but it goes into the clubs treasury or they even buy me rolling stock. I tell them no but they never listen. I do it because I like to do it.
Between the club owned throttles and the free decoder installation our club has now converted every member to DCC. Some of the older holdouts took a long time to switch over but finally did. If you ask them they will tell you " I don’t know why I didn’t switch sooner"
Yeah, Three other groups to be specific. We did not re-configure our NCE system, instead we just switched to wired operation rather than wireless. At the next show each of my children’s modules are going to have a throttle plug built into the front of them.