Posting here because the question is actually a general inquiry not related to the technicalities of DCC v DC (discussions of which remind me of oil change threads on automotive sites, at this point I just duck and run).
If you find DCC attractive how important to you is the sound capabilities?
The answer to this question affects whether you would want to retain some sort of dual mode power pack system and how easily you might convert your DC to DCC should you not wish to keep running DC in some sort of parallel.
I’m currently pondering this very issue.
New DCC locomotives with sound are frankly amazing.
Older DC locomotives have very real advantages in my experience. Many, if not most, of the higher quality DC only locomotives run and look exceptionally well. Worth buying if you don’t have them and worth keeping if you already do.
Do you convert or leave well enough alone?
If you convert do you only do this if you can include sound or is DCC alone enough reason to dig in there and plug or wire in a modern decoder?
Conversion of DC only used locomotives is economically sensible if you still like the locomotive.
Question is do you want to and if so why? If not, why not?
This is not aimed at the committed DC modellers, we do know why you stay DC.
My response is not exactly answering your question, but here goes anyway.
I just started my first layout several years ago. At that time, I had not ever heard of DCC. Before I started laying track, I read about DCC. I decided that was what I wanted.
It had nothing to do with sound. Even today, I have only one sound locomotive, and I very seldom have the sound turned on.
I wanted the control of different trains on the layout without building blocks. To me, soldering feeder wires every other section of flex track was easy. In fact, since I had never had anything else, DCC seemed very easy.
I just bought another locomotive. I bought one with DCC installed, but not with sound. The price difference for the same locomotive, one with sound and one without, was $60.
I had a layout in the late 80’s until my divorce in the late 90’s. Packed up all my stuff, saved the L-griders and control panel, 6 months before I set my train up around the Christmas tree for my grandson. Just like that, I was back into model railroading.
I decided I wanted the control of DCC. I wasn’t sure about the sound. There is no shortage of people who don’t like the sound and will tell you about it.
It turned out I did like the sound and am sorry I installed a couple decoders without sound. Like most people, as it comes out of the box, the sound is too loud.
I went to DCC fairly early, and was quite happy with basic decoders that I hard wired myself. Once I discovered sound, though, I realized the advantages and started buying sound-equipped DCC engines.
I still have a number of non-sound engines, but I usually run them in consists with sound engines. Eventually I might convert them, but for now I’m happy.
I installed a Sound Bug in a structure by my car float terminal. I used it to provide sound for a small tank engine which would have been hard to add a speaker to. I never got around to it, but these are easy decoders to modify, and I planned to add seaport sound effects and possibly a tugboat whistle for that area.
I’m sure I’ll be in the minority here but…not that important. While I do enjoy DCC, I can take or leave sound. What is far more important for me is excellent motor-control and being able to operate my locomotives independently of one another.
Sound is icing on the cake. However, sometimes (actually, most of the time) I like my cake w/o the icing. Between steam and diesel, I much more enjoy sound in my steam locomotives - particually the chuff. The prime mover of a diesel, OTOH - to me - generally gets annoying to listen to after about 5 min.
It is nice having the option of turning the sound on or muting it using F8 to suit my listening preference at a given moment. And, with sound muted, I really enjoy hearing the clickity-clack of the metal wheels as they traverse over the joints of the track on the layout.
All my locomotives - albeit older or new; plastic or brass - are purchased with the intent of operating them on my layout. And, since my DCC system (NCE Power Cab) is DCC-only (
If it were up to me, running a model train would make no sound at all - no phony chuff, no diesel engine noise, no not-at-all-like-the-real-sound-of-wheels-on-rails.
Sound on my layout would be like having a giraffe car.
I know the real sounds…they’re all in my head, and I can remember them when I choose to do so, which is only occasionally. If I needed that noise, then I’d go listen to the real thing.
My return to the hobby began with my sons 5’ x 10’ Thomas layout some twenty years ago. I always knew there would be a time I would get back to it. Being someone that enjoyed taking activities to the extreme the old body would wave the white flag at some point and it did.
Finding the world of DCC when I went shopping to start back was the most pleasant surprise I could have had. Remembering the hours I spent in my childhood dreaming of that kind of train control and seeing it become a reality really energized my start back into MRR.
It is DCC with sound all the way for me, While I fully agree with Sheldon on the quality issues, I still would not be without it. I have 18" subwoofers for the movie watching and when I put a video of my C&O 2-10-4 on the big screen plying its way around the layout it sounds pretty darn good with those subwoofers.
I ran a lot of trains yesterday and mostly had the sound turned off as I was working on the layout and had Gord on the stereo. When I am running trains with my focus on them I enjoy the sound, more so for all the sounds in the library of a good quality Loco. The bell and whistle on the Hudson are terrific. I love the doppler effect of the whistle or horn(on a diesel) I use the coupling sound effect all the time and enjoy tormenting my sister with the wheel squeal. Rapido likes lights and so do I so the more a DCC loco has to offer the better. I only have a dozen or so Locos, but every one of them has sound. I will be adding five to the fleet in the coming year, all with sound and lights. The 2 of the Rapido 10 wheelers, 3 of the phase 2 RDCs and one F7B. Can’t wait.
We were building an HO layout in the art-building attic of my high school that incorporated sound via a combination of transmission-line subwoofer (remember the Fried T-2 ‘everything but the wood’?) with a tweeter/mid that would run on a subtrack under the operating train. This was nominally ± 3dB from 18Hz to somewhere north of 22kHz with all the dynamic range you could want, driven off some vast parent-basement-donated tube amp (I actually think it was a Marantz probably worth ridiculous money today) which didn’t clip and gave all the dynamic range you could want. We were planning to do the sound effects with – admittedly much lower-fi, a bunch of little tape loops put into endless cassette shells providing the various effects with different pre-gains – good heads for the day but cheap transports as a little wow and flutter didn’t seem as important at the time. The one I did build had a pot controlling the capstan-motor speed so you could manually synchronize the endless steam exhaust recording with track speed. (The dim idea … I’m sure I got it from MR … was to be able to shift from one track to another on the width of the tape to produce ‘more effort’ when appropriate, but that never quite got implemented…)
This was just as gratifying as necessary when tested, and I have been ‘missing’ sound all the years since and enjoy most of what a locomotive like a BLI T1 or A-class does (absent the useless ‘freight yard sounds’ and other toy-train things I blame Mike Wolf for importing into my end of the hobby). I’m a bit amused that “Rolling Thunder” is supposed to be an exciting new departure … although I admit I would have killed for the ability to drive our system off high-fidelity DAC output from an on
I run dual mode, DC or DCC, best of both worlds. I went with DCC specifically for the Southern Pacific Cab Forward and AC-9 sound.
I have my MRC Sound & Power 7000 (DC) power supply and my MRC Prodigy Advance² behind a DPDT relay that selects one or the other. The relay coil is powered from the Sound & Power accessory power. When I turn on the DC Sound & Power the rails are switched from the DCC Prodigy to the Sound & Power.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL
You may find the newer DCC/sound models “amazing”, I have heard them, they still sound like my 1968 9 transistor pocket radio to my HiFi trained ears.
We were building an HO layout in the art-building attic of my high school that incorporated sound via a combination of transmission-line subwoofer (remember the Fried T-2 ‘everything but the wood’?) with a tweeter/mid that ran on a subtrack under the operating train. This was nominally ± 3dB from 18Hz to somewhere north of 22kHz with all the dynamic range you could want, driven off some vast parent-basement-donated tube amp (I actually think it was a Marantz probably worth ridiculous money today) which didn’t clip and gave all the dynamic range you could want. We were planning to do the sound effects with – admittedly much lower-fi, a bunch of little tape loops put into endless cassette shells providing the various effects with different pre-gains – good heads for the day but cheap transports as a little wow and flutter didn’t seem as important at the time. The one I did build had a pot controlling the capstan-motor speed so you could manually synchronize the endless steam exhaust recording with track speed. (The dim idea … I’m sure I got it from MR … was to be able to shift from one track to another on the width of the tape to produce ‘more effort’ when appropriate, but that never quite got implemented…)
This was just as gratifying as necessary, and I have been ‘missing’ sound all the years since and enjoy most of what a locomotive like a BLI T1 or A-class does (absent the useless ‘freight yard sounds’ and other toy-train things I blame Mike Wolf for importing into my end of the hob
I run DCC only. I started out with DC but found sound to be a big plus for me and I also found that I like the control of DCC for the operation of a locomotive.
As far as good running DC locos go, if they run well on DC they will also on DCC with the plus of more motor control. I recently bought a brass CN K5a Hudson that looked great but ran very poorly(DC). There is a top caliber brass fellow in my city and after he worked on this loco it became an exceptionally smooth running loco and quiet too. I had him install a motor decoder. It creeps along plus I can control the headlight. As it has run more, I was able to change the start voltage so now it creeps on speed step one which is something for a loco with scale 80" drivers.
He is now putting a can motor and a sound decoder into a brass CN J4e Pacific. I expect it to be another great running loco. It sure is a great looking one.
I like sound but can live without it. The motor control of DCC is more important so I’m with Tom on this one.
