I had been interested in the MRC 350 controller for some time. Recent MRC ads on the back of MRR Magazine made reference to it and an MRC brochure I picked up from a LHS described it in detail, yet I couldn’t find it on sale anywhere. When I contacted MRC, they told me it had been discontinued --it’s inclusion in recent ads was a mistake and the brochure I had was old. I thought to myself “too bad, it sounded like a great DC controller”. I was especially intrigued by its adjustable momentum and adjustable max voltage settings. Plus it had an optional walk around throttle you could buy. By sheer dumb luck, I stumbled onto a very nice hobby shop while visiting family and, surprise, they had one MRC 350 and its optional walk-around controller in their display cabinet. The box was pretty scuffed up, so I’m guessing it had been sitting there a while. I was torn about getting it, but the shop owner offered me 10% off the two items sales prices and it was no tax weekend in Massachusetts, so I bit.
When I got home I was only able to test it out on a small loop of track since my layout’s track is all pulled up while I work on laying the roadbed and adding some topography, but it seemed great. The adjustable momentum gives you a lot of range to pick just what you want --since I plan to run short trains, a small amount of momentum would be appropriate. The max voltage adjustment is great; when properly adjusted you get to use a lot more of the throttle knob’s range than you typically can with n scale engines, making fine adjustments easier. I also like the “smart” direction button. While the engine is moving you can press it, the controller will then on its own apply the brake (slowing down at the set momentum) until the engine stops, reverse voltage, and then accelerate (again at the set momentum) back up the set speed in the other direction --all of that with just one press of a button. I’ve never used any DCC thrott
The price is probably the reason the 350 was discontinued. With quality DCC systems starting at $140.,I think most modelers would opt for the DCC system. As I see it, and I’m not putting down DC systems, but wiring a layout is less complicating using DCC vs DC. That in itself, for someone just beginning such as myself, is enough to sway towards the DCC systems.
If you have a very simple layout and don’t plan on running more than a couple of trains at one time then DC may be a better option. However, for many of us that want to run several trains at one time a DCC system seems more desirable.
I’ve been into MRR a very short time but from everything I’ve read, no one that has gone the DCC route has returned to DC. DCC seems to be the future of MRR that’s most likely the reason the more sophisticated DC systems are going by the wayside.
Yes, I suspect you are right. The MRC 350 costs about the same as Bachman’s rudimentary DCC system and for another $40-$50 you can get a well appointed starter DCC system.
For me, with some patience I’ve been able to amass a decent fleet of DC engines at a pretty low per-engine price (perhaps $30 to $40 per powered car, most being the higher quality Life Like’s and Atlas’s). For the same money, I’d probably have only a third of that if I went with DCC. And onboard sound for N scale is still in its infancy. That said, I do see the appeal of DCC and for some, given how they want to operate their layouts, it is practically a must.
One other thing that weighs in favor of DC for me is probably what drives many (most? all?) DCCers away from DC --block control. Even though as a solo operator I would most likely only have one engine rolling at a time, I still need to be wary of other engines sitting on the track and isolate them via blocks and power routing turnouts. For me, I look forward to that being part of the operating “puzzle”. Yes, it is not a prototypical aspect of operating, but it makes the challenge of smoothly operating my layout that much more difficult. Since it will be a small, not particularly complex layout with just me operating, that extra layer of complexity should be welcome.
I purchased an MRC 350 to replace a 2400 Tech 2. When I got home I discovered that more than 2-3 engines, depending on the type, would open the circuit breaker. I called MRC and spoke to someone in service. They acted as if this was something they had never heard of. I was told to mail it in but I would have had to pay shipping so I returned it to the LHS for a second unit. The same thing happened with the replacement. I took the second one to work and hooked it up to a variable load in the electrical lab. I cannot remember the exact value the breaker would open but it was quite low. I called MRC back and spoke with someone else. This time they admitted to me that a mistake was made by the EE who designed the unit. This was causing the breaker to open far before the rated amperage. They told me they would fix it if I sent it in to them. Again I was told I would have to pay shipping so I declined. I was not going to pay shipping on a 1-day-old high dollar unit. I returned the second one to the LHS also. The LHS said both units would be making a one-way trip back to MRC. They were not the first 350s to be returned to that LHS. I ended up buying some long shank anti-tamper torx bits so I could get inside my old 2400 Tech 2 and fixed it myself.
Your 350 may or may not have had the “modification” done to it. Some may have been modified at the factory before delivery. I suspect that MRC got tired of the returns and quietly dropped it from their line. Perhaps there is more to the story. The adds/line art were probably paid for in advance so that is why you continued to see them in MR even thought the 350s could not be found.
That’s disheartening news, but thank you for sharing it. Being able to draw upon the experiences of others here is great.
I’ll re-setup the loop of track and throw four engines on there to test it. If it can handle four that should be more than adequate for my expected operations.
I tested the MRC 350 tonight with four recent generation Life Like n scale engines and I’m happy to say that the circuit breaker didn’t trip at any point throughout the full range of voltage. I guess that doesn’t necessarily prove that I don’t have the uncorrected controller since four n scale engines probably isn’t that demanding, but that should be sufficient for my purposes. With my small layout I would at most lash together two engines, so even if I had two trains each headed by two engines that for some reason I wanted to move simultaneously that would be four --I should hopefully be ok. I may test it again with more than four engines and perhaps mix in some of my Altas engines, but I think I’ll need to set up a slightly bigger test loop.
I am glad your 350 is working well for you. You are correct that N scale engines will place a lower demand than HO. I would think that even if your pack has not been modified, 4 or even 5 N engines would not be a problem. At least now you are aware of any potential problems and will know what to do. Remember, MRC has a 5-year warranty from date of sale. After that you pay shipping and a service charge.