Agreed, MRR is a big tent, actually bigger and more diverse today than ever.
I’m in that other camp, I only want new tech when it benifits me.
My life examples:
I love my new car with computerized twin turbo fuel injection, heated seats, indash navigation, blue tooth hands free phone, electric power steering, paddle shifted six speed transmission, electronic traction control, roll stablity control, etc, etc.
I will not have a programable thermostat in my house, it is 4000 sq ft with 5 zones of hydronic heat (hot water) and two zones of cooling - conventional thermostats work just fine.
I still have flip phone, I’ve never taken picture with a phone, only sent about 3 text messages in my life.
My computer is a brand new HP ENVY, windows 8.1, with all the bells and whistles - but it just replaced a 13 year old XP machine.
I still prefer my land line phone when I’m at home.
I am a long time (1960’s start) HO modeller and built my current layout for DC block control with two mainline cabs, plus two yards with separate cabs. I’m also a believer in insulating both rails at block ends, and using DPDT switches for cab selection (no common rail wiring). This made it easy to put a selector on one cab for DC or DCC cab control, since all rails and wiring is isolated. I only did this since I bought a locomotive with a dual mode decoder (long time Reading fan plus Broadway Limited T-1 equals “couldn’t resist”) I originally bought the DC Master which allows access to some sound features, but was disappointed with performance on standard DC, so I got an NCE Power Cab set. I’m impressed by the difference in control on DCC and like the direct access to the sound features.
Will I convert completely to DCC? No, I have many (over 50) older locomotives making that cost and technically prohibitive. Will I convert some? Yes, as time and money allows (plus feasability of conversion). Will I buy new locomotives with DCC? Probably.
I have reliable homemade (from a MR article in the 70’s) DC controls that put out 4 Amps, which gives me good control of all the older locomotives, including Athearn, Bowser, Mantua, Tyco, etc., so I see no reason to get rid of the old since it works well.
Maybe the O.P. regrets using the phrase “Old School” in this thread, I guess I would have edited the title to have taken that phrase out of the title. The phrase gives the connotation of DC Block Control being out of date; or, obsolete. Certainly this is not the case! DC operation is a vital and as modern as any type of operation there is!
I always considered the phrase “Old School” to mean “good old”, “time tested” or “classic”. Ever watch the Orange County Chopper’s on TV? I usually like Sr’s old school designs better than Jr’s modern stuff.
Continuing to take this thread farther from its’ intended subject, at least here in Minnesota, I remember hearing and even using “Old School” long before even the Beatles! So, the phrase’s beginning has nothing to do with Rap; or, Hip-Hop music.
I began modeling in the 1960’s as a teenager and picked it up again five years ago. I read about DCC and observed it in operation at train shows and open houses. The technology is clever and the effect entertaining. For those who want the extra expense and enjoy it, go for it.
However, I wanted the most railroad for the bucks I had to spend so I decided to stick with DC block control. One of the features of DC not often mentioned is what us kids used called our imagination. In our age of dramatic special effects, everything bigger and better, and instant gratification our imagination is often thrown to the side. It may sound strange to our younger participants but I can still run my trains and “hear” all the sounds of train operation without any of the expense and technical glitches to deal with.
After moving into my retirement home, I got back into model railroading after about a 15 year hiatus. I decided to go DCC from the start and the plan was to convert all the old locos to DCC. Then sound locos came onto the market and the high end locos looked so much better than my old Athearn BB diesels and Rivarossi steamers that I ended up using all new stuff. Besides, converting to code 83 rail made a lot of those old Rivarossi steamers with pizza cutter flanges obsolete. The will run on code 83 but sound like their are running across a washboard. I now have a decent fleet of old DC equipment for sale. My LHS has a couple shelves for second hand equipment and I’m going to see what I might get for them. The other option is e-bay.
And this may be a bigger category of “not made the jump” users than people realize. On a small layout, where 99% of the time you only run one engine at a time, you can pretty much manage the control of the trains just using the power routing capabilities of the turnouts. You don’t even need additional cut-in blocks or block control switches. One throttle, with speed and direction, is all you need. So… no block wiring, no selector switches, no decoders, no booster. Nada.
It’s mighty hard to be as simple and bullet-proof as that.
And this doesn’t mean you can’t have operations. If you are the only operator, you can switch and work to your heart’s content. As you pull into sidings or across cross-overs, the turnouts will route the power correctly as you throw them.
This is the camp I’m in. I am a computer software engineer by trade. I have built all my own electronics. I’ve etched circuit cards and I am not afraid of any of this stuff. Honest. But what would it buy me? Nothing. The vast majority of the time, I am a roundy rounder. I pull trains out from a siding, maybe cut off cars here and there, and set off onto the main. DCC would do very little for me.