Hi all, not sure if I've picked the right forum for this question, so mods please move if I've messed up So, these days the railway modelling hobby is as strong, indeed vibrant, as ever it was - which is great news in my view. Now I'll admit it's a number of years since I've attempted a layout in anything smaller than 'G' but it seems to me that there's a lot of emphasis these days on DCC. So, it got me to thinking: those of you who remember the days before DCC, have you embraced it, and does it enhance your enjoyment of running your layouts compared to the 'old days'? Is it even possible in 'N'? Just wondered what people felt about it.
Hi Clive. I did have a train set when I was about 10 yrs old or so and it was obviously DC. The enjoyment I remember as being very limited as I could not really afford to expand it much.The result was getting bored with it. Coming back to the hobby but this time with the ability to make more of it has been great. Money being one less issue ( to a point ) but ........ If DCC had been available ( and affordable ) all these years ago, it may have been different as you could have had more loco's running on less track due to the ability to run multiple loco's on the same track with DCC. Even if it had been say three loco's rather than having to swap over one at a time. DCC has opened many doors and is the way to go for newcomers I think. People with considerable DC projects and stock can be easily understood in terms of reluctance to change. Not just that but there are some very good modellers out there with a great understanding of what is achieve able with DC and can stretch the limitations through a thourough understanding of CAB control etc. It's up to the individual I suppose at the end of the day....... Horses for courses as they say. Enjoy it whatever way you go. Cheers Toto
Interesting question Clive I like my DCC however if it wasn't for the sound side of DCC I wouldn't have considered it. For a long time I only had my Narrow gauge run via DCC with all Locos fitted with sound and lights etc Then as more people started going to DCC I started to think about running my HO layout on DCC ended up setting it up to run both DC and DCC. Then the O scale layouts took the place of the HO and at first they were set up as duel control as loco conversion was done slowly. The enjoyment factor can be a bit higher with DCC if your interested in the sound or the other layout control options etc. However both make the trains run pretty much the same. For me the real enjoyment with DCC is setting up the loco to behave like a real train, set a realistic top speed set the acceleration to be like a real loco and then the momentum on the decel I have it set up like in real life shut the throttle and very little happens the train will start to slow but you will need to apply the simulated brake to now control the train to a stop or slow for a curve or point this becomes more interesting when shunting. The Decoders I am using now, have brake simulation that has several stages just like a real loco. So makes it interesting setting and releasing the brakes and on the diesels even have working dynamic's. All this said I still just enjoy running trains what ever control system is used. DC or DCC Ps I have DC controller's that have simulated brakes momentum etc etc so that side hasn't changed at all. I do like my sound fitted Locos though in O scale as the size and quality of speaker able to be fitted is much better, Than in the smaller scales.
Clive I have been on DC since 1978. Firstly in HO/OO and then in N. Like it, it does what we want and we already have the kit. I was then afforded the chance to spend a day with Gary on Industry Lane. I liked it with sound and lights. If we were starting now I would go DCC. As we already have the kit I will suggest that we will stay on DC until the controllers give up the ghost. These are the same controllers that we bought in 1978. I am just hoping that between now and whenever they will make decoders and speakers small enough to fit the n gauge steam locos. Andrew
chiefnerd wrote: The N scale in USA outline have lots of decoders possible including sound for steam but then they are big locos like 4-6-2 & bigger with the speaker in the tender.
Clive for me I suppose I was lucky, on returning to the hobby, I only had a couple of loco's and an opld H&M Duette controller - the electronic feedback controller had long since bit the dust. So was faced with the choice of finding a new controller either DC or DCC. Many years ago (at least 35) I had been asked to build a layout for a friends kids christmas present (I was outsourced to Santa) which had Hornby's Zero 1 system, It had its limitations (especially in a really cold loft - we had to sit the controller on the heater), but overall I liked the operability of the chipped loco's. So when I got the chance to purchase a new controller I wasn't too deterred by the DCC extra's that would be required. I did spend sometime reseaching the different systems, and plumbed for the NCE PowerCab, a decision I've not regretted. The fine control is superb (but is dependant on the decoder - some are better than others), and you do need to keep the track clean. I'd consider myself as a beginner as far as DCC is concerned, I've yet to learn the art of fine tuning the decoders, but haven't needed to learn that skill yet - although when Toto's operating, the top speed does get limited. When you hook a computer up to your programming track and use something like Decoder Pro, things start to get interesting, and because it has a nice easy to use graphical interface it becomes very easy to tweak, and backup and restore settings. It's a brave new world - so I'm told Paul
Hi Clive, to be perfectly honest I was always a little unsure of DCC as I must admit being a technophobe, however when Dapol announced their O scale 08 back in the mists of time I ordered one, got fed up waiting and got my money back, now money and I have an uneasy relationship-we cannot stay together! so I decided to invest my money in an NCE power cab as my brother in law has one and he swore by it, I still haven,t got it wired to my layout yet but I,ve played around with it and found (despite the American English in the destructions), it is fairly easy to use,the downside for most newcomers I think, is the cost of upgrading their locos with chips, I am lucky I only have a few locos and am upgrading as and when the funds become available. Cheers, Pete.
Interesting thoughts, thanks chaps! I'll be honest and say I hadn't considered the 'sound' aspect. I purposely avoid sound on my locos (even though one can get some quite convincing sound modules), mainly because of a desire to avoid advertising the presence of the railway to people walking past my garden. It must be a revelation, though, on a OO or similar layout!
The part of DCC that I like the best is the ability to drive a loco up to another on the same track without track breaks and the associated wiring. Makes having things like a convincing shed/depot scene easier and more realistic. Sound and switchable lights is an added bonus.
Agree with Andy. Driving the train instead of the track was the only way I could get my original track plan to work. Trying to get a train to move seamlessly between sections with cab control, without stopping at an inappropriate point, was the main reason I swapped to DCC on my particular layout. However, if your not really interested in sound or the ability to control individual loco lighting and other accessories from a single command station/controller, I’m not so sure it’s become the standard entry level. How many modellers that use DCC still use wire in tube or a mimic panel with separate power supply and switches to control turnouts? Then there is the initial cost of a more expensive controller and decoders for every existing loco, along with any future purchases. If you start by going down the train set route which many of us did and people still do, your almost certainly want to change the command station from that which is supplied, if you initially buy a DCC set. In my opinion there is and always will be a requirement for DC control, as it’s a much easier and cheaper introduction to a hobby which you may find you don't want to pursue. So is DCC the norm, don't think so. It's just another facet of a hobby that encompasses all sorts of interests and skills. Just realised I’m beginning to witter, so I’ll shut up Ed
