I am just getting in to trains, again. I am about to hit 40 and this will be my first foray into it since I was about 6 with my dad. haha. i have been reading up and so far have my mind around attempting a 4’ by 8’ HO scale layout using code 83 atlas track. Was going to start out with a gp38-2 from athearn and a few freight cars from both atlas and athearn. I have no legacy to work with so i was going to jump right into DCC.
I am looking for advice. I know I need a DCC controller, do I need a separate power pack? Any recommendations on power packs/dcc controllers? Anything I should be aware of overall that you wish you knew when you were starting out?
Can’t wait to get going. Glad to be a part of the community.
An NCE Power Cab starter system is all you would need if the locomotive already has a decoder installed. If the loco does not have a decoder you will have to instal one yourself or have a professional do it for you. The latest offering from Athearn have quick plugs that make installing a decoder easier than taking the shell off.
The larger DCC systems require a separate power supply. The Power Cab has it own power supply and is real easy to use. The Digitrax Zephyr is another starter system but is not walk around without a separate throttle.
There are several DCC starter systems which will have plenty of capacity for your layout. I am only familiar with the NCE Power Cab so I will extoll its benefits.
First to answer your question, it comes with its own power supply and the whole system is contained in the hand held unit so you don’t need a separate throttle and booster. It is all in one. The power output is sufficient for three or four modern locomotives, and the power capacity can be easily increased with an add on booster if you should decide to expand your layout in the future.
Second, I find the unit easy to operate. I am generally an “all thumbs” type of person when it comes to fine motor skills. I looked at Digitrax initially but because most of the buttons looked the same I was turned off. Don’t get me wrong - Digitrax is good stuff as many will testify. I just decided to forgo the learning curve needed to find the right button.
Third, the NCE Power Cab has some important features which not all systems do. For example, it can read back CVs. That is a blessing when you get into the finer details of adjusting your decoders for best performance, such as when speed matching two locomotives for running in a consist. Read back is not neccessary but it is convenient if you muck up, which you will[swg].
There are lots of great people on the forum who are willing to help newcomers. Don’t hesitate to ask your questions. There is also a search engine on the right side of this page about half way down. It is worth giving it a try to see what others have said in the past, but don’t feel that you have to spend hours there before you ask a question. Sometimes the search engine produces good results and sometimes not.
I did a review here on the forums about the CVP Easy DCC system. It may be a bit pricier than some entry level systems, though. I’ll see if I can find the link.
A further question, will all or most ho rolling stock couple with each other? I ordered the 4 cars from next track today and it seems to talk about one coupling system and athearn refers to another - just hoping they all work together.
I am looking into pre-ordering the athearn gp38-2. looks like a nice one. Thanks so much for the advice. I will go look those up right now. I will also do some searching on the forum.
Most all the locos and rolling stock I’ve seen come with knuckle couplers of one brand or another. Most will work together. Kadee’s however are the best of these.
Just about all HO scale rolling stock these days come with knuckle-type couplers. Very few, if any, come with the old “horn-hook” couplers. All the knuckle types should work together, some better than others. The “industry standard” is Kadee Brand. Most folks will tell you Kadee’s are top quality. Others vary. Some of of remove whatever the factory installed and replace them with Kadees. Myself, I replace whatever doesn’t work reliably and as-expected.
You shouldn’t go wrong with anything Athearn makes. Just be cautious about getting long 6 axle locomotives if you have sharp curves (this goes for any brand).
Does the GP38 have a DCC decoder already installed? See my earlier reply. The locomotive must have a decoder to run on DCC.
There are some DCC systems that can run a non decoder equipped loco but it is not very good on the motor.
If you need to buy a decoder I would recommend looking at TCS brand decoders. They have very good motor control and the lighting unit is fantastic also. They are hands down the best bang for the buck. They have features that other decoder offer at twice the price.
As has been said before, almost all new rolling stock comes with knuckle style couplers as opposed to the older horn-hook style. The two styles do not work together.
Knuckle couplers are made from either metal or plastic. Metal knuckle couplers are by far the most reliable but for your purposes with a 4 x 8 layout you aren’t likely to get trains long enough to break the plastic knuckle couplers. The common problem with plastic couplers, besides breaking under load, is that the molded in springs are not very strong so they often don’t perform as required.
If you are really into tuning your freight and passenger cars for optimal operation there are a few things you should consider:
Many modelers automatically replace plastic wheel sets with metal wheels. The theory is that the metal wheels will leave much less residue on the tracks. Residue leads to dirty tracks, which leads in turn to unreliable operation, particularly with DCC. Not everyone thinks that this is neccessary. Metal wheels are not a substitute for clean track.
One other wheel related step that some people swear by is to ream the truck journals with a truck tuner. I have one but I have never found it necessary to use it. All my wheel sets seem to spin freely from the get go. Lucky me!
Many modelers also replace all plastic couplers with metal. The preferred brand is Kadee because they seldom if ever fail (although the tiny springs may pop out from time to time which is a real PITA). Recently there have been other metal couplers offered which apparently do just as good a job.
Most modelers also measure the weight of the cars and add weight where deemed necessary. The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA)http://www.nmra.org/ has developed many standards which are designed to help modelers run their trains, one of which is recommended weight. For HO they suggest one ounce of weight plus 1/2 ounce for every inch of car length. This is
Welcome back to the best of hobbies, Go for Digitrax DCC It is a little expensive, but has upgrade features and compatibility with other systems. Yes, Digitrax has a power pack that you need to activate the Digitrax system. Do you have room for future expansion. You can start with the Zephyr, and then upgrade to Super Chief,(as I did, when I had constructed my 24’x24’ around the room layout, with an internal stairway with chair lift ,since I am handicapped).) Following is a 5’x9’ layout that I like. It fits a ping-pong table. It allows for “operating” sessions. These follow the prototype “waybill”, etc. of real railroad operation. Do you know how to go to a Host,(Photobucket), in order to Post photos. I will send directions via a Post, if you need it. I, personally, like “flextrack”, rather than fixed sections. What theme and era, would you prefer. Plan ahead with cardboard footprints of industries (available on Internet), to plan what and where industries will be placed on spurs. Have you considered N scale? This scale fits a 4’x8’ better than HO scale. Bob Hahn Note the two cardboard footprints of 2 Hulett unloaders. The supports. had to be precisely placed, in order to span four tracks. The sawmill complex is special, since it is mounted on a pull-out drawer, that can be removed to allow access to tracks in the rear.
My self, I went with Digitrax but have nothing bad to say about NCE whatever. One of the things that came in real handy with Digitrax is I can use a interfaces with my computer to run my layout. I am sure that is well ahead of where you want to be at his point.
On Athearn Ready To Run, I am not a fan of them. I have 4 and all 4 of them need new motors. But to be fair, I have ran the heck out of them before I started having problems. When I got started I was running my layout 40 hours a week and made them pull long trains. So for most people they should be fine, well maybe? [:-^]
My personal choices is Proto either 1000 or 2000 series engines.
My only real advices you have not heard about yet is the layout sizes. While most people look at starting on a 4 X 8 (it easy, wood is all ready cut to sizes) if it is against a wall it can be a nightmare! Try laying good track work laying on your stomach! [banghead]
If you can walk around the 4 X 8 layout, won’t be a problem. If you have to have it against a wall, put it on wheels!
A beginner or “do-over” beginner these days has the considerable advantage of Kadee compatible couplers being just about universal these days in HO (and N seems to me moving in similar directions after years of the old Rapido coupler being the train set “standard”). It really was a pity all those years when the most frustrating couplers were standard equipment for beginners.
An impressive array of entry level engines now seem to be available in DCC as well.
Do you have a local hobby shop (LHS) that you feel you can trust? I mention that because it seems to be the case that guys often seem to need the advice and assistance of the LHS more often with DCC. All the DCC systems mentioned above seem to be quality goods (I myself am most familiar with the Lenz system which is a commonly used system here in the Milwaukee area due to the advocacy of a few guys who were among the first DCC advocates, installers, and repairmen in the area).
I would say that the MRC systems are often seen on hobby shop shelves perhaps because MRC was already so well established and already had a claim on shelf space anyway. It also seems that Model Railroader often uses MRC systems on their project layouts. I have no reason to think MRC isn’t good stuff but I have no direct experience with it.
This is a great hobby. We went with MRC Advanced. It comes as a wireless system or wired. The directions are on the back of the throttle so it is a quick study.
We have been happy with MRC, however most of our friends have Digitrax.
Welcome back. I’ve gotten back to the hobby after many years and am enjoying it thoroughly. Some suggestions:
a) on DCC, I recommend getting a good reference book (I like MRs "The DCC Guide). There are also websites with tons of detail (for later). Tony at Tony’s Train Exchange can help you on what hardware you will need (e.g., reverser circuit boards if your layout includes reversing loops / turnaround wyes).
b) Many folks like to use layout design software, some are free. I liked XTracdCAD, but opinions vary.
c) On building your layout, there are good reference books available from MR, on benchwork, tracklaying and layout design. The MR project layouts, such as the recent Virginian 4’ x 8’ layout, cover lots of ground on everything involved (the articles are supplemented by videos on the MR site, well worth viewing). There is alo a layout library on the MR site.
d) you can get specific questions answered here as you go along…don’t hesitate to ask.
e) note you can (further down on the right side of the page) flag threads as “favorites” that you want to refer to later. Unfortunately, the search feature seems (to me) not very good at listing relevant threads on a subject.
I just got back into the hobby myself and have a few pieces of advice.
The forum itself is an excellent source of information and inspiration. So read, read , read.
Find a good local hobby shop where the staff is happy to help and give you advise.
Visit a train show in your area. I think its great to look at the layouts and get inspiration. I also encountered some very helpful folks. When I was looking to convert my father’s old layout from DC to DCC, one gentleman was nice enough to actually let me try his throttle and get a feel for the system I was interested in purchasing. Now your mileage may vary and not everyone is going to let you touch their layout but I have found most people operating layouts at shows to be more than helpful.
Just for the record to answer your question I went with Digitrax Zephyr Xtra. I have found it easy to use. I often run 2 mu’ed trains at once and it has no trouble with 6 sound equipped engines plus a non sound Genset switching, all running at the same time.
Here is another big [#welcome] to the Forum and another vote for the Basic NCE system. The manufacturers list price is $199 but I saw it somewhere on line this past week for $169. With a bit of browsing, you should be able to find one somewhere in the middle.
The reason that I liked the NCE system was its ease of operation and ease of setup and nothing extra to buy.
1) Just mount the control panel on the edge of the layout. (4 small screws)
Note the two cardboard footprints of 2 Hulett unloaders. The supports. had to be precisely placed, in order to span four tracks. 
The sawmill complex is special, since it is mounted on a pull-out drawer, that can be removed to allow access to tracks in the rear.