I have been thinking about getting into the dcc thing but have a lot of ???. My current layout is dc block controlled. Any problem going to dcc? Can you run both dc & dcc? Money is an issue as i saw the Prodigy Express ad for $99.95, I was wondering if this would be a good way to start? I am running steam locos nun of which are dcc ready. One is a newer Bach. Spectrum 2-8-0, the other is an IHC 2-6-0. Would there be a problem putting decoders in them. Thanks for any help it will be appreciated.
This is a very discussed topic. Do a forum search for “DCC” “MRC” “Prodigy” and you’ll find a wealth of information, opinions, pros and cons. There is stuff here on Prodigy as well as the Prodigy Advance/Express, Digitrax, Lenz, NCE etc etc etc.
The very best way is to do some homework. Check out the forum topics. Check out DCC vendors like Tony’s Train Exchange and some others.
While I have a Prodigy Express and love it, I cannot recommend it to you. Only you can decide what meets your current needs, future needs and wants (needs and wants aren’t the same), price, expandability etc. Every system has its pros and cons and it seems that the owners of the various systems are very loyal to the system they have.
While daunting and sometimes confusing, keep in mind that the fact that there are very many good systems out there is a good thing. Another good thing is that because of NMRA standards a decoder equipped locomotive can operate on all the popular systems. Should you decide to switch systems in the future, you at least do not have to swap out decoders.
Since you have an operating DC layout, don’t be in a ru***o switch over to DCC. Run your trains, have fun.
Good luck, keep asking questions and let us know which system you finally decide on and why you picked what you did.
Dave has given you some much wise advice. Save your money, do your homework, and see what system will do what you desire to accomplish on your layout. Every DCC system has its shortcomings. It’s best to make an educated and well-informed choice to avoid disappointment over a system that isn’t doing what you want.
Just curious, but why did you post the exact same question in both the “Layouts and layout building” forum and the “General Discussion” forum? Most folks read and reply in both, so starting duplicate threads usually does nothing more than raise the overall noise level.
Anyway, see my reply to your post in the “General Discussion” forum.
Sorry Steve did not mean to step on your toes. To answer your question who is to know. At the time of this response i saw 57 on the general forum & 12 on this. Maybe some do not look at both. Tell me why then there is not just one forum.
To the others thank you for your thoughts. As we know dcc can be a very confussing subject with so many differant options.
Just take your time. Although I was often frustrated when making my decision, the process helped me learn alot about DCC without spending a dime. When I made my decision I was confident that I had made the correct one FOR ME and that I would be happy with my choice and not disappointed by its limitations. When it got here, guess what? It was exactly what I was expecting!
Larry,
You didn’t step on my toes, so no apology is necessary. I was really just trying to help you get a better response by having all the discussion about your question in a single place.
But to answer your question, looking at the number of folks on one forum vs. another at any given point in time probably isn’t an accurate reflection of how many of those folks look at one vs. the other. If you look at the ID’s of the posters, you’ll see that many (most?) of them post in both forums.
Since the “General discussion” forum has about 4 times the threads and 6 times the posts of “Layouts and layout building”, I’d say it’s likely that folks just spend more time there because there’s more going on there.
As far as why there is more than one forum, I guess you’d have to ask whoever set them up. I’d tend think the idea was to split the topics into broad groups, since that’s how most sites with multiple forums are arranged. But that doesn’t seem to be enforced or followed to any great degree here so I could be wrong in my assumption.
Steve Thank’s again and to the other’s. I quess forum’s can be just as confusing as dcc, the way some topic’s seem to never end and go on for ever not even touching the original topic.
Dave If you see this how big is your layout & how many engine’s do you run at once?
Thank’s again
Right now it’s a 2 1/2 by 6 urban module to be expanded later to fill a 10 by 10 room. At the very most I see 3 trains running (maybe one of which will be double headed) running at any one time. Given the size, wireless is not all that important to me and I’ve lived with tethered throttles forever with out a problem. While MRC’s system of remote plugging in cabs is a little more expensive (ethernet style cables vice phone style) I really won’t have that many to make the difference all that important.
Pretty much the deciding factor (I have a couple of posts here where I explain my decision making process) was that I could have walkaround now for about 100 bucks.
Dave Thank’s for the info. Still makeing my decission putting all the +'s & -'s in the appropiate place’s before i add them up. You input will help. Next ? will probably be about decoder’s. I feel another headache starting.
Thank’s again.
No problem. To be honest, I loved doing the research and figuring out my pros and cons concerning DCC. I enjoyed reading what others here had to say about the various systems. I also asked alot of “dumb” questions, but the folks here were super in answering them.
Headache? Well, maybe, but the results of this headache is much cooler than headaches obtained at work, dealing with the ex., paying the bills, etc etc etc!
I am also new at all of this as my layout is only a few weeks old. I have a friend who is an electronics genius who has been mentoring me. We’ve done some all-nighters and had a ton of fun. He will install decoders on any guage engine and his price is right too. Another friend of mine who is also a model railroader set up a website for him. Try going to dccinstaller.com. He may not respond right away because he’s doing a trade show in Dallas until this coming Thursday, however I’m in touch with him once a day.