Old School vs. New School

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

The layout in my previous home which I moved out of 20 years ago was DC on code 100 (HO) track. That’s old school.

My current layout is DCC with code 83 track and about 2/3 of my locos have sound. That’s new school.

This isn’t intended to be a scientific poll but I’m curious as to who is still doing things the old school way and who is new school. DCC is available in all scales of course. I’m less knowledgeable about track codes in other scales but I’m guessing there are choices there as well.

Another old school/new school choice is couplers. In HO, I think most people are now using some sort of knuckle couplers but is there anybody out there still using the old hornhooks. Back in the 1980s, that was the standard coupler almost all equipment came with and KDs were what you converted to if you wanted knuckle couplers. I think it was sometime in the 1990s that other brands of knuckle couplers became available and new equipment came with both types of couplers. Are the different coupler choices in N scale as well?

So what are the choices you have made for your layout?

2

Ok.

A. Switched to Atlas Code 83 years back. Switch turnouts Atlas and Peco.

B. Locos and cars equipped with traditional Kadees. Gradually switching over to KD “Whisker” type.

C. New locomotive purchases: Unless equipped, preference is for DCC ready so that I can install either LokSound or TCS sound setups. For non-sound units: TCS decoders. Currently have a fleet of “Old School” P2K E-units that are being gradually upgraded to DCC Sound.

D. DCC - preference for NCE control.

E. Freight Rolling stock: Large number of “old school” 70’s production Athearn BB units being updated & detailed. Also have 90’s-early 2000’s production Bowser and P2K cars. All traditional type (#5) KD coupler equipped.

F. Passenger fleet: Batch of 80’s production Rivarossi’s. Large batch of 90’s-early 2000’s production Walthers light weights. Five Rapido lightweights. All knuckle coupler equipped. Gradually being switched to “Whiskers”.

[:D]

3

That is my choice yes I buy new locomotives all of the time DCC ready RTR rolling stock but I will NEVER change to DCC and code 83 track.

4

The old, recentlty dismantled layout was mostly “new school” DCC but still used Code 100 with Atlas switch machines, hard wired control panels. Most engines sound equipped with upgraded freight and passenger equipment - but still quite a few “blue box” freight cars and Riverrossi passenger cars, all equipped with Kadees and metal wheelsets. The new layout (yet to be constructed in the new house) will be 100% “new school” from a technical standpoint (Peco 83 and 70 track, loco sound, DCC with computer interface for turnout control etc.).

However, from a different perspective - the focus of the new layout will be “old school” in some way - with an emphesis on craftsman and scratch built structures.

5

Old school DC blocks with New school PECO code 55 Uni-Frog and Micro-Trains knuckle trucks.

Old school Lone Wolf is only coordinated enough to run two trains at a time. Extra expense makes no sense for me.

TF

6

Old skool, in part because it’s readily available for low dough.

7

Old school definitely.

DC, Two wires connected to track each for two controllers. So simple to operate. Grandchildren have been ‘in control’ since they were three years of age.

David

8

Both.

One layout is 3 Cab DC with Block control, a reversing loop and a reversing Wye. The other is designed and built as a DCC layout but still with a small amount of Block control. It too will have one reversing loop and one Wye, maybe two.

Easily powered by DCC whenever we wish because of the electrical design. I’ve connected my MRC Tech 6 in place of one of the DC Cabs to test that idea. There is a plug connector fabricated from one of those Li ion battery charger type connectors. I’ve since found easier connectors to use. DCC connectors can carry a lot of amperage so need to be of robust gauge equivalent. Technically we’ll need to physically disconnect the other two DC Cabs if we actually operate DCC as opposed to merely doing a test run.

My personal layout will be DCC but will use a similar two wire connector so that I can power the layout with DC power occasionally should I wish to run a “legacy” locomotive. However, I have decoders on order and I have purchased two types of DCC 8 pin female connectors to wire into most of my more recent legacy locomotives. I plan on installing motor only dual mode decoders into those. Installing sound isn’t worth the effort in most of those locomotives from my perspective. If the locomotive already has room for a speaker I’ll fit one but I don’t plan on cutting out weight just to add sound. I’m not messing around converting legacy locomotives to DCC if they aren’t basically DCC friendly already. In fact I really only have the legacy equipment for the old school experience which is based on my age and when I first wanted model trains as opposed to toys.

I’m old school in that a “silent” electric locomotive sounds normal to me. DCC with sound is great but you really don’t need them all to be producing locomotive sounds all the time.

I purchase only DCC with sound decoders for new acquisitions. The newest dual mode decoders run just fine on DC power should one w

9

New school. Last layout was new school except for no DCC but had Train Engineer. Only reason went DCC is sound, it became cheap and is getting cheaper. New stuff coming out next year that is under $200 and has better sound.

10

I used code 83 back in the 80’s.

DCC NCE Powercab

KD couplers. I started using those in the 80’s and a I had a couple cars with horn hook on one side and KD on the other. I got rid of those. My layout is still under construction so I have not gotten rid of knuckle couplers that are on new purchases to replace them with KD’s.

11

A combination of old & new school…

  • Locomotives - RTR & kit; plastic & brass; non-sound & sound. Sound is much more enjoyable to me in steam than diesel…but in doses. The majority of the time I operate them muted.
  • Rolling stock - Mostly kit (preference) but some RTR.
  • Couplers - Kadee #58s; no plastic
  • Wheelsets - Metal and mostly ribbed; no plastic. Since Proto 2000 no longer produces the ribbed wheelsets in packs I have started using Kadees.
  • Layout - 2" foam, framed, supported by 2x2 legs and 1x3 framing & supports
  • Track - Code 83 HO over cork roadbed
  • Turnouts - FastTracks (with live frogs) using Caboose Industries S220 ground throws
  • Layout era - Steam & early diesel; early 40s thru early 50s
  • Building/structures - Kits, including a few craftsman-type. I have also started a few scratchbuilding/kitbashing “projects” that I know will most likely never become available in either kit or RTR. I scratchbuild my own street lighting using styrene tubing.
  • Lighting - LED (bulb & SMD) & incandescent; LED for my locomotive headlamps and incandescent for interior/exterior lighting. At some point I’d like to experiement with LED interior/exterior lighting.
  • Operating system - DCC (track only). I prefer to use DC for interior/exterior lighting so that I can dial down the voltage in order to extend the
12

Some of each:

Track - new school - code 83, mostly Atlas, some Walthers and some hand built turnouts. Track glued down with adhesive caulk.

Roadbed - old school - homasote roadbed on plywood/wood subroadbed.

Benchwork/scenery - old school - open grid and table top, strong enough to climb on, wire screen an plaster open below - no stacks of foam - no foam anywhere.

Control system - advanced old school with some newer tech - DC advanced cab control with wireless throttles, detection and signaling, CTC, automatic train control, walkaround and tower control options.

Layout design - mostly old school - continious loop double track mainline, lots of hidden staging, addtional continious run display loop cutoffs.

Scenery design - old school - visually deep scenery, most areas 3-4 feet deep, some areas as deep as 10 feet with rear access and popup access.

Operational concept - new school - layout models only one “city” and trackage a few miles either side, most trains start in staging and end in staging, industrial switching mostly off the mainline on a belt line.

Turnout control - old school - hidden Tortise motors on mainline and hidden yards, visable yards and industrial trackage home made ground throws.

Sound - old school - no onboard loco sounds, plans to experiment with some layout based sound effects.

Couplers/wheels - old school - I use Kadee couplers, but only the original standard head, NO semi scale couplers and no semi scale code 88 wheels.

Rolling stock - old school - wide variety, 60 year old VARNEY and Athearn, kits of every difficulty, modern RTR, both mid and high end. It only has to look reasonably correct, every rivet perfect is not required.

Sheldon

13

I still had a lot from my teenage layout. I’m 74 now so it’s aged, but I’ve taken care of it so most of that rolling stock looks pretty good. It’s mostly Athearn with some Tyco. Everything now has Kadees, and all the plastic wheelsets have been replaced with metal. I’ve added a lot of newer rolling stock from Walthers, Bowser, Atlas and others.

I didn’t lay down the old brass track, going first with Code 100 NS, and then switching to Code 83 as my layout expanded.

My old engines didn’t work well anymore. I gradually acquired a few DC locomotives, but I switched over to DCC very early. Now most of them have sound.

My old Lionel layout from the fifties was plywood on 2x4s, sitting on the floor with no legs. When I went to HO I built sawhorses and used a homosote subroadbed. My grown-up layout has real legs, a real frame and is on pink foam.

14

Both

My layout is HO scale and was designed for DC with blocks, kept it that way.

I bought a DCC controller and a few decoders in 2005 and I operate in both modes, one or the other.

I went with code 83 track (1989) were it was viewable and code 100 for hidden track.

One of my things is restoring clunker locomotives, over 60 and all wired for DCC. I only have 5 locomotives that were bought new.

I still run mostly DC, DCC when I want to hear my locomotives or show off to visitors.

I guess one would say I’m mostly old school, don’t much care for new goings on, I prefer the 1950s my growing up era.

Mel

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California

Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.

15

Both.

My layout is sorta like Mel’s, I can run DC or DCC.

I don’t really think of it as “old school vs new school”, it’s whatever you want to run.

My track is all code 100. I like it that way.

I’m not a huge fan of sound.

I’ve watch too many videos of sound equiped trains, with every other loco on the layout having sound on, and to me it’s annoying. Too much noise.

I like to be track side, and no sound decoder can capture that.

Mike.

16

Old School

DC in blocks

Lone wolf operator

Code 100 Atlas track on cork

Blue Point and Tortoise Switches

For couplers I have my late Father’s stock which has horn hook couplers. For new stock that I am buying I am using what it came with but in the process of converting to kaddee’s for all the stock that is giving me a hard time.

Layout is 1" foam on 1/2" plywood. The frame was built in sections and then bolted together.

I am using scultamold to create a textured ground and for the outside of a mountain that was created with stacked foam board glued together.

charles

17

I don’t consider it “old school vs. new school” so much as minimum acceptable standards:

  • No above-the-table switch machines (scale ground throws are okay).
  • No grass mats
  • No lichen
  • No #4 switches
  • No brass track
  • No Code 100 track
  • Minimum mainline radius: 30"
  • No X2F Horn Hook couplers
  • No couplers that have plastic knuckle springs
  • No split knuckle couplers (as used by Atlas and Kato)
  • No truck mounted couplers
  • No NEM wheel flanges (pizza cutters)
  • If equipped with windows, rolling stock must have “glass”
  • Bare metal handrails are banned and must be painted
  • No “cookout in the cab” loco headlights
  • Must have: DCC
18

I switched to code 83 track with the new layout when I started construction in 2003 after seeing code 83 on a friend’s layout. I like the look of it over code 100.

I’m still running DC instead of DCC. While DCC has come a long way over the years, I’ve got about 25 locomotives active on my roster. Three are Athearn SDP40Fs while the rest are a mix of DC Athearn, Atlas, and Spectrum from the early 80s to 1997. Converting or replacing them would be too much work/cost for me at the moment.

A few years ago, I did replace all of my old horn hook couplers with Kadees, which has improved operations.

Kevin

19

When I built my layout, I received a donation of code 100 flex track. So I used it. If you paint the sides of the shiny nickel silver rail with rail brown, the rail looks a good deal smaller. I am the only operator on my home layout so I only want to run a single train at a time. So I run plain DC and have a bunch of toggle switches to apply or remove power to sidings. I use Kadees everywhere and the magnetic uncoupling devices. I have rolling stock going back to my college days. I believe in the two foot rule, if it looks good at two feet, it is good enough.

20

Went from DC on the 1st layout to DCC on the 2nd (current)

Code 83 track on both layouts regardless

Are duck-unders old school? I had that on my 1st layout and went without (no complaints!)

Knuckle couplers

Metal wheelsets