Wall brackets are easy to find. sizes from 2 foot to 6 inches and hardwares stores might be able to get bigger sizes.
All the dcc systems are about the same and most of the handheld throttles that come with them do have a way to woreless remote them. Or the systems have a wireless option.
That one is based more on if you use sectional track or flex track and if the joints are soldered and engine numbers. And the current draw of each. Soldering the joints helps as each joint is a point of resistance. So the soldering removes that resistance. Hard to give an idea with out knowing more about your planned operation.
3 not sure why cork wouldn’t be stiff enough. It is the normal standard. I use something called easy Matt. Which is a floor underlayment and sound barrier. Works good for that.
Shane, I think the OP was talking about what would support the cork.
What would depend on how far apart the bracing is? 3/8 ply would work it the braces were 12 to 16 inches on center- 16 to 24 on center it better be 1/2 inch or better. Then there is ridged foam. I don’t have any ideas on that.
[quote user=“PGWolfe”]
2) has anyone seen wall brackets for what I am attempting to do? 3) what kind of material should I use to support the track? I have cork, but obviously that is not going to be stiff enough[
Any kind of shelf bracket would work,depending on how wide your shelf is.
I’m assumeing your refering to the shelf itself ? If so any thing that will span the brackets and remain level.
Lets say you want a 8in self,and you mount the brackets at 4ft each.
You could use a 1X8, or 1/2, 5/8, or 3/4 plywood, or 2in foam.
Your only supporting a few pounds of plastic .
Have you come up with a way to handle the door way?
I’m right in your space. I’m experimenting with all foam on Knape & Vogt double slot HD shelf system. Interesting. Trying to copy Woodland Scenics Modu rail system. I have ended up building pretty standard benchwork but using all 1/2 inch foam construction. I cut 2" x 1/2" stringers to stiffen the 1/2" foam base for my yard. The rest of the layout will utilize the Modu-rail system of 1/2" base with the track risers on top and the contour stiffeners on all four sides. It seems feasible so far but we shall see how stable it all gets once the plaster cloth goes down. Foam isn’t as stiff as wood.
DCC is the way to go. Two wire bus. One power unit (booster) will work fine for a single operator. DCC has WAAAAY more capacity than one operator could possibly control effectively. DCC is just so much easier to build and operate. Unless you have a lot of legacy DC locomotives or a real passion for lots of older used locomotives which are also hard to add decoders to just go DCC right from the get go. Anything from the 1990’s and newer will be a piece of cake to update with a decoder.
I think PG is asking about DC power, not DCC. There are and have always been DC modelers with quite large layouts. The voltage drop for a long run in DCC is less of a concern in DC.
I also think he is looking for a phone app to run his trains. I know they exist, but I can’t an useful answer to that question either.
If it is just a loop around the room, somehow you are going to deal with a doorway.
Also, just a loop with no switching doesn’t sound like it will hold you interest very long
What about his reference to a transformer? Wireless to me suggests “dead rail”, as I’m currently building such a locomotive for a friend.
That sounds like a pretty large assumption: if he’s been out of the hobby for years, perhaps he wants something that’s familiar with what he had in the past. DCC on a single loop seems mostly pointless when a wind-up train can run on a single loop.
One ought to choose his words more carefully than simply saying, you’d be nuts to to choose DC over DCC. Many guys still get into the hobby by starting out in DC, especially as you say, Wayne, if the first layout is something like a simple loop and a single locomotive. That, in fact, is how I started out. A lot less expensive, a lot less complicated, and a lower learning curve.
When you compose a reply to someone on a forum, don’t imagine you’re in court or that you’re with friends, or with people for whom you have little regard.
Think, “O wad some Power the giftie gie us…”
The safest way to be informed (and relevant) is to SEEK information…or clarification. Instead of assuming that you have all the necessary facts, why not elicit them first?
Agreed. Simpler, faster, and since it’s close to Christmas and people are about to get more severely constrained over socializing and unnecessary movement, a lot more FUN. Later, when he wants, he can look into DCC. He’s already found the forum, has read the sub-headings, and knows there’s such a thing as DCC. Surely he’ll take a look?
Wow, just plain insulting groups of people, now I see…
Also, another thread started by a newcomer has degenerated into a commentary on your tendency to ruffle feathers.
This is a shame. We need new people here, and no one comes here to see this type of discussion. This is not the type of group that thrives on controversy and discourse. Please take Selector’s offered advice.
If someone is comfortable with DC, can install it and troubleshoot it with no issues, and does not think sounds adds anything to their layout experience… well, that is not a sign of mental instability.
There are signs of mental instability that are much easier to identify.
The OP has had a grand total of 2 posts, give him a break. One was about track coming apart on an under the Christmas tree layout and this one.
We know he has been out of the hobby for decades That means at least 2, maybe more. We don’t know what he knows and doesn’t know. He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. Decades ago there were transformers but no dead rail, no blue tooth and no wifi.
What we know about his proposed layout sounds pretty plain jane, but we really haven’t given him a chance to flesh this out. He could be more operationally oriented than his post implied, or he may be building a layout for a couple of very small grandchildren and he doesn’t need sound and rivet quality rolling stock.
If nobody said so on his 1st post, [#welcome] to the forum. Your posts will be delayed by moderation for a bit. People here really do want to help.
Having just gone through exactly the thought process expressed by the OP I expressed my opinion. If I wish to emphasize that starting with a DC setup today would be a huge mistake why is that such a problem for the wisemen?
The marginal cost of starting out with DCC over acquiring a DC setup is just too small to make starting out in DC at all sensible. Compare that to the cost of changing if you for some very strange reason dislike what DCC does for you and yes, you’d be crazy to start with DC.
Then the DC guys all get their feathers ruffled along with the guardians of the faith that keep new members from entering the conversation. My opinion was not directed at committed DC guys (note the double entendre by way of rejoinder) as should be obvious.
There’s a huge difference between dumping an elaborate DC syste
Not really. If you’re gong around the walls of a room…I assume its not a double garage or a barn…one “good quality” transformer should be enough.
A transformer is associated with DC control. I don’t believe there is a wireless controller for DC being produced. A few of us use and have used a wireless DC throttle made by AristoCraft. I used to have one for years when the layout was DC, and its a great way to add wireless control to your DC transformer powered layout. You can probably find some used on ebay for a reasonable price.
4a. But DCC offers wireless control and command. I currnetly use the NCE Power Cab with wireless control. Its wonderful, but pricey.
And if you want to walk with your train around the room, wireless is the way to go, no doubt about it.
Yes. Common wall brackets work fine. With only wanting a loop, you probably only need a shelf 12 inches deep, and brackets to support that shallow of a shelf are plentiful and cheap.
Plywood. Then put cork or foam roadbed on the plywood to support the track…if you want that raised realistic profile. You could simply lay the track directly on the plywood. Many people do not like that flat look though.
I would use 1x2 or 1x3 glued and finish nailed on their edges to the plywood, giving the sag-able plywood rigid spines along its length. That way, you can increase the space between brackets and use less of them and invade the wall less.
Edit: DC is not outated. Afterall, the DC motor that makes the train move is still powered by DC current as it has always been.
With DCC, there is simply a generator of a digital signal that gets coded then decoded before it lets DC power reach the motor. DCC provides a digitally coded signal in case you want the signal to control more than one train simultaneously or to command digital features, like
The question asked by the OP was more along the lines of “how should I get started”.
In my opinion, you should not get started by building a DC layout and buying a bunch of DC only equipment when DCC offers the same basic functionality plus, plus plus. If you’re starting from scratch.
We do not all live in your one-size-fits-all world.
I guess you would want me to do major surgery on over a dozen brass locomotives to install expensive decoders that add nothing to my enjoyment of the hobby.