If any of those locomotives have rubber band drives don’t even think about using them.
This story might be insightful. I build a 4x8 Atlas track plan in 1991 using Atlas components. It was DC. As I was designing my current layout in 1995 I had intended to use DC. By the time I was ready to start work on it a couple of years later I changed my mind and went DCC. When I bought the system I ordered decoders to convert the blue box locos that I already had.
I only did one of them. Today that unit only pushes around a track cleaning car. A few years ago I took apart one of the old switchers with the intent of converting it. I never finished the project. In fact I never got past taking it apart.
I understand the desire to save money by using old equipment and if that is the only way you can make this happen take a shot. I fear you will run into many problems that will make the project a bunch of headaches.
When I changed over to DCC, I only converted the locomotives that I needed for my operating scheme. That spread out the cost a bit.
You might also wish to convert an old locomotive to DCC if it has a custom paint scheme, or it has sentimental value. In one case, the old locomotive’s motor was burned out, so I re-motored it and changed it to DCC.
On the contrary side, I decided to replace one locomotive, because the old blue box chassis had a million scale miles on it. I’ll change it to DCC someday…
Original poster here. First thanks for all the your ideas and advice. This is how I have decided to proceed. First bench work is about half way completed. I am going with a 10ft X 8ft, minus a cutout in the center, to start. My main goal was to have a minimum of two independently running lines. It will initially be wired as a 2 cab block system. In the future, probably around Xmas I will start hinting at the DCC system i would prefer, hopefully the wife picks up the hints. I will switch one of the cabs to DCC and leave the other with the capability to run full independent DC using the second cab. After a while, locos that do not lend themselves to easy modification will probably be shelved and I can prioritize which locos to encode first acquire or newer versions. Like I said, thanks for all the insight and comments.
If you would read more carefully, what he’s building is two completely separate layouts in the same footprint space. They will not be electrically connected in any way. I can think of few better ways he might assess DC vs. DCC for himself.
His ‘two independent lines’ can be thought of as two electrically-separate layouts in one location. There is no way he can inadvertently apply DCC power or signal to the DC trackage, or vice versa, unless I am the one who misunderstood what he was saying.