Before Christmas I told my family I would like to get back into model railroading and mentioned DCC. In hindsight I should have made a wish list. Instead, I got
A Bachmann N scale starter set. A Bachman HO scale DCC set with two engines. A bunch of Atlas HO scale True Track. A MRC Prodigy Advance 2 A few books on wiring, layout, and DCC. I bought myself two Atlas Gold engines off of Ebay for the built in DCC and sound and ordered the Atlas TT04 Great Atlantic Trunk track package.
So now I have a bunch of stuff that does not work together. I’m thinking of two setups. A quick fix and a long term project utilizing the TT04 track package. I would like a simple setup on the dining room table or floor to play with while I take my time building an 8x4 in the garage.
Any suggestions on what to keep and what to bail out on before I get too deep?
The first thing I would do is to determine what scale to model with. Sell the rest. Since you seem to have mostly HO, I would stick with that. I don’t know how old you are, but as I’ve aged my eyes are more capable with HO than N.
First, don’t worry, you are not in a mess at all[swg]
Second, you are in a position to do whatever you truly want from here. You could do the long term with the Great Atlantic Trunk or the 4*8, it is up to you. I would use the N scale as just a thing to have around whenever you simply want to watch a train run around a track in frount of you. Whichever you do, I would take the TT off the roadbed and simply use it as sectional track layed on cork roadbed. Remember, It is your layout, only you have to like it!
Thanks everyone. I decided to first set my goal and that would tell me what I need.
Goal 1: A quick, easy and fun setup on a flat surface in the garage. Anything I received will be good for this and the kids can get involved.
Goal 2: Use my TT04 track package to make a early 60’s rural coal town in the bonus room. For this setup I will take my time on and get heavy into modeling. This will also give me an excuse to get a router, blade saw, and lots of other goodies. [8D]
After an appropriate period of enjoy the Christmas gifts I will hand the Bachman sets down to my great nephew and focus on Atlas track for my setups. Now I have to study up on where to find appropriate early 60’s pieces and what engines to use.
Your family listened all to well. SOme guys can’t get teh family to get tehm anything in MRRing {ModelRailRoading}, OR they get the very wrong thing thinking they have done well. SO you are lucky. And you got quite a thoughtful haul.
First, I would use the bachmann HO DCC set with the two engines to get your feet wet with DCC. YOu can run 2 to 3 locos with it, depending on theor amp draw. The Bachmann EZ COmmand DCC system is VERY easy to use…be sure to watch teh DVD as well as read the booklet…most info is in the DVD. All DCC engines should be factory set to assignment number 3. Warning: Also the booklet says "to program your loco to another address, first activate the loco by running it a short distance, Next press the button 3 {the factory preset} AND the “Stop” button at the same time, then release tehm together, the power LED will flash quickly to indicate you are in programming mode… THAT IS NOT CORRECT. Press The the “3” button quickly followed by the “stop” button separately then release both together! If you press them at exactly teh same time, nothing happens.I was frustrated over that till I saw them do it on the DVD and saw they did it the way I said. You can program right on your regular loop of track as long as there are no other locos on the same block of track.
I would opt to purchase the regular Atlas Code 100 or code 83 {better} track and NOT use the track with the Bachmann set, most likely black roadbed with steel track {bad} or even with the gray roadbed with Nickel Silver {NS} track, as the track is ok, but the switches don’'t always work well. I also wouldn’t use the Atlas “true track”, Atlas regular track is available at online places like here:
Since you mentioned a 4x8, you should check out this month’s Model Railroader magazine, and last month’s, too, if you can find it. There is a series on 4x8 layouts, both track plans and actual layouts that people have built. It will give you some ideas of what can be done with that format.
Thanks. That is some very good information. I open the Bachman DCC set tonight, watch the DVD and test the locomotives. I really need to test the two Atlas engines I got off of Ebay. If they need to be reset I will start reading the MRC manual and see if I can do it.
I did get the 4x8 layout edition of Model Railroader and since I signed up this week I’m guessing I will receive part 2 in a few weeks as my first issue on the subscription. I think I am set on my first 4x8 layout. It will the Atlas Great Atlantic Trunk. I wanted something that will allow two or three loco’s to loop at the same time.
Next step is to start calling friends with pick-up’s and find someone to haul me a sheet of plywood.