Ok so im finally deciding to go with dcc but i have no idea where to start is there any good beginer kits that anyone can recommend and any other useful infor for a beginner in this field please let me know.
Nick,
Try going to Tony’s Train Exchange main web page (http://www.tonystrains.com) and click on the link called “DCC For Beginners!”. That will give you a good knowledge base for making wiser decisions about what DCC systems to get and what they have to offer. Keep in mind that the input on here will be weighed primarily from both experience and personal preference.
Tom
There are many good DCC “starter systems” . I reccomend the Digitrax zephyr, thats what I have and I’m nothing but happy with it. It might not be the right one for you though, you have to look at whats out there. DO NOT buy an MRC prodigy or prodigy advance. They sound tempting with lots of features at a low price but they are not worth the box they come in. The Bachmann system is the cheapest, but also the most basic. If all you want to do is run trains on DCC then the Bachmann might be for you. Check out Tony’s as suggested above and look around on all the manufacturer’s websites. See which is right for you and go for it!
Nick,
In addition to what Tom and Joe have suggested (and I agree with them both), I have two additional suggestions that tie in with each other:
-
Check which DCC brand(s) your LHS carries, has experience with, and sells the most of.
-
Try to find out what DCC systems others in your local area are using. Look for nearby MRR clubs, inquire at local MRR shows, etc.
The reason for these two “fact finding” missions is that these are your first two lines of defense if you need help/parts/whatever. If you need that “Brand X” doohickey RIGHT NOW, and your LHS only stocks Brand Y, you’ll be hurting. Likewise, if you just can’t figure out that Brand X doohickey and need some help, but all the local folks own and swear by Brand Y, you’ll be similarly out of luck.
Also, if multiple brands are available/in use locally, be sure to try out more than one brand if at all possible. While the feature sets of the major brand systems such as Digitrax, Lenz, and NCE are very similar, they aren’t identical. Their ergonomics certainly aren’t all the same, either. So, you may find that one brand has a feature you ABSOLUTELY need, or that another brand has a throttle you just HATE to use.
All that said, I have a Digitrax Super Chief and I’m 150% satisfied with it. It has a great feature set, it’s very expandable, and has been completely reliable. The nice thing about the Zephyr is that it shares most, if not all of the Chief’s features and expandability.
HTH,
Steve
Boy…I have to agree with him…[#ditto]
Do lots of reading. I purchased the Walthers DCC book. It has good information about basic stuff and wiring, but I don’t know if it was worth the $18 they charge for it. I got more out of visiting the local club ( before I joined it) and talking with the members there that used DCC on their layouts.
i totally disagree with JPM335 on not considering MRC. i have MRC prodigy and am REALLY happy with it![:D] i have had NO problems with it at all. its easy to use, setup, and has really worked GREAT for me![^] though if you were looking to get an MRC product, i would suggest MRC podigy advance over the prodigy. prodigy advance allows you to upgrade, and their controlers are better then just the prodigy.[;)] YES there are better systems out there, digitrax, lenz, ect. like others have said, check them out and see whats best for you, but DONT rule out MRC prodigy advance.[;)][:D]
Zephyr
I’m a non-DCC guy, but still looking at eventually going to DCC some time in the future. Some observations on the subject:
Are you a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge guy? You’ll get the same emotional discussions with DCC as you’ll get with trucks. Brace yourself. I’m a Chevy guy myself. I just wi***hat Chevy put Cummins diesels in their trucks… 
The biggest determining factors I’ve seen with the DCC decision is:
- What does the LHS sell?
- What does everyone in your area use? (they’re a source of help when you get lost).
- How do you like the controller? Lets face it, the controller IS the DCC system when you’re running it.
- Can you interface a computer to the system and run DecoderPro, and is that even a need for you? From what I’ve seen and heard you should leave that door open for the future even if you don’t think you need it today.
- Does the system have enough horsepower to run your layout?
I’ve got freight and passenger trains mixed. Lighted passenger cars tend to load down the system fairly quickly. A 10 car train can easily pull 1/2 amp or more just sitting there for the cars, plus the draw on the locomotives, which can be another amp in the extreme case. My diesels can pull as much as 3/4 amp each under heavy load (Athearn’s). I know that I could easily swamp a 3 amp system when running multiple trains, and that I should only consider 5 amp and greater systems.
Some thoughts to confuse the subject…
Mark in Utah
Mark, you’ve summed it up nicely but I’d like to add one more:
- How expandable is the system, in regards to both more power and more features, without rendering your existing investment obsolete?
One manufacturer has come out with a few starter sets so far, each one a step up from the last. But from what I understand, there is no upgrade path from their earlier systems because none of them are compatible with each other.
Another manufacturer requires that you replace existing components in order to upgrade (And I’m not talking about “chips” (eeproms). Those are relatively minor to swap out).
You want to stay away from having to junk a component, or worse yet the entire set, just to get a new feature or two.
P.S. I completely agree with #4. JMRI is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And remember, DecoderPro is only one part of the entire JMRI suite…
Steve
Personally I vote zephyr. I can however see why one would chose another brand. EasyDCC is actually not all that bad. I believe Joe Fugate uses that one. NCE also makes good equipment. Both NCE and EasyDCC have the advantage of true duplex radio capability. I can’t stand having to plug in my digitrax radio throttles. On the other hand though Digitrax is one of the companies still really pumping out improved products it seems to me that the other brands are just riding along on what they’ve got. They also have the advantage of being pretty much the most expandable of any of the systems. As for Lenz I personally don’t like their controls (my opinion of course) and I have yet to see something from MRC in the DCC field that truelly works well, they should have stuck to DC they were good at that. NCE and I believe EasyDCC have the advantage of seriel ports so you can connect them directly to a computer running JMRI. Digitrax requires an extra piece; either an MS100(it’s junk even the digitrax people tell you not to buy it) or a locobuffer 2. The digitrax loconet is nice though, it really is a brilliant piece of networking. I currently have a digitrax zephyr with a UR-91 radio reciever and a UT-4 throttle. I connect to my layout with JMRI and a Locobuffer 2 and as such gain as manyvirtual throttles as my system can handle. I hope my long winded explanation is of some help to you. Good luck with you railroad and believe me once you get DCC operating reliably for you you’ll never be able to understand how you got along without it.
Jesse
Easy DCC is great. We have that at the club. My only problem with it is price. If you can afford it you will like it[:)]
Actually, EasyDCC does NOT have two-way radio. It DOES allow you to drop and select another loco at will, there’s just no confirmation at the throttle. NCE is the only one with a real two-way radio so the handhelds get real status updates.
–Randy