First…I am doing research between NCE Power Cab and Digitrax (Empire or Chief). I know what the NCE will do when I bring a 3rd engine online, but I’m not sure what will happen with a 3rd engine on either of the two Digitrax units. Any help there?
Second…I am making a small layout for my 6 year old son in his room with Life-Like Power-Loc track. I want him to have two trains going. Instead of using the Life-Like transformers…I was wondering what a good inexpensive brand of transformer I could get out there. I see an Athearn on e-bay for $9.99 and a Tech 4 MRC…wondering what would be better than the transformers I have would be, but not at a huge price.
Digitrax will handle more than 3 locos easily, I have run 7 with my zephyr. Make sure you get the digitrax system that can read back CVs, I cant remember which that is right now for some reason…
A Tech 4 is a good power pack, in fact most of the MRC power packs are pretty nice. Not so much can be said about thier decoders though.
First off, The two Digitrax systems you mentioned are their full systems and the PowerCab is the entry level NCE system, so you aren’t necessarily comparing apples to apples. The NCE ProCab is comparable to the two Digitrax systems you mentioned. Having operated with both types of systems, I would still stick with NCE. Especially with their latest consisting format. Way cool. When you build a consist, you can access it by dialing whatever the lead unit is in the direction you are moving. So if you have engines 123-456-789 and the 123 is leading, select 123 and off you go. Redy to come back? Select 789 and its the lead unit. No worrying about which unit is the leader of the consist or what the consist number is or which way the consist is facing. Way cool. As far as a transformer, pretty much any MRC unit is indestructible. I have one I bought in the 1970’s that my son is still using on his layout. Dave H.
As you already know, the Power Cab can only toggle back and forth between 2 locomotives. If you bring in a third, the locomotive that was last up gets “bumped” from the recall stack and the “new” locomotive comes in at whatever speed the previous locomotive was running at. (One of the downsides to the Power Cab. [:(] The recall stack does increase to six with the Powerhouse Pro.)
That shouldn’t be the case with either of the Digitrax units. They should be able to toggle through all the locomotives addresses easily.
If you can afford it, I would beging with the Digitrax Chief. You can also pick up old Digitrax DT-100 or DT-300 throttles on Ebay failry cheep $25-$35). Each of the Digitrax throttles (DT-100, DT-300 or DT-400) can control two locomotives/consists at the same time.
If you have a personal computer and buy a Digitrax comuter interface (MS-100 for RS-232 port or LocoBuffer II for USB port) you can download Decoder Pro (free) from JMRI web site. The JMRI software has a throttle program that lets you use your computer as a throttle, and you can open multiple computer throttles. When I am sitting at my work bench I usually open up a few throttles on the computer and run a few trains as the “clic-clack” of the train wheels is very therapeutic.
To convert your Digitrax system to wireles you will neet to purchase on UP-91 (Digitrax Radio) and wireless throttles. DT-100r and DT-300r are out of production but will still work fine, or you can purchase the new DT-400r or the UT-4r. If you have a computer interface skip the DT-400, you don’t need it.
Thanks for the info. I was thinking the MRC was the way to go for DC.
Dave, I apologize about the comparison on the Power Cab vs Empire Builder or Chief. What I should have said was that I am looking at NCE vs. Digitrax and left it at that. The Power Cab has just been what I have really been studying, but not having 3 trains in recall is a concern of mine that I just can’t let go. Also the fact that NCE has been slow to put out auto reversing or other add-ons as I’ve heard they’re supposed to be doing.
From a novice point of view I am thinking that Digitrax is beginning to be the standard. They seem to be the most prevalent and have many add-ons (smart boosters, auto reversing, quad power managers, etc.). For someone in my region, with absolutely no where to trial a DCC unit, something that is tried and true might be the way to go…no matter how much I like the NCE units.
This just tells me that I have a way to go before I’m educated enough to make a smart decision.
That was one of the main reasons I chose Digitrax over any of the competition. Not only does Digitrax itself manufacture a wide range of accessories, but other companies do as well.
Also, LocoNet is extremely powerful and flexible, especially when you interface a computer as Jim mentions. For example, the NCE computer interface does not send all the throttle bus info to the computer, whereas with LocoNet you have access to all the traffic. Depending on your application, this could be a significant difference.
And please, don’t think that “interfacing a computer” means “having the computer run the trains”. There is so much more than that that’s available no matter which DCC system you use.
To expand a bit on what Jim said, if you find yourself looking at used Digitrax throttles and have a choice between a DT100-series or a DT300-series throttle, go with the DT300-series throttle. The DT100-series throttles still work quite well, but the DT300-series throttles have nicer displays and do a better job of letting you know what’s going on when you’re setting up a multiple-locomotive consist or simply running trains. They also will keep your throttle preferences (clock display, clicking vs non-clicking throttle, etc.) in non-volatile memory between operating sessions, which the DT100s don’t.
Now, having said that, if you or someone who will be running the layout have vision limitations, the large LEDs on the DT100 are considerably easier to read. That and the fact that their resale price is usually lower than a DT300’s are the only advantages I can think of for the DT100 throttles.
If you’re interested in a computer interface, don’t bother with the MS-100. Go straight to the LocoBuffer. The LocoBuffer works reliably with versions of Windows later than Windows 98. If you’re using Windows 2000/ME/XP, the MS-100 would be more hassle to get working (if you can) than it’s worth, based on my own experiences and that of many others on the Digitrax Yahoo!Group.
