amdaley
Member
Yes. It doesn't make any difference which decoder you use. They are all supposed to be NMRA compliant.
Wich Dcc brand to choose
- Thread starter julienjj
- Start date
Yes. It doesn't make any difference which decoder you use. They are all supposed to be NMRA compliant.
from what i did understand, decoder are an industry standart, so you dont need to have the same brand decoder in your train, however this is not true with booster, you must use the same brand booster.
maybe using a digitrax decoder and booster/throttle kit give advantage, like plug and play, i dunno
U
up dallas sub
Guest
thanks! i'll ask at the hobby shop anyways just to be sure
I wouldn't run any accessories like switch machines from a dcc power supply. Just get big MDC DC power pack and use that as your source. You can buy them for almost nothing now on e-bay or at train shows.
Is your track plan HO? What software did you use to design it? How much space do you have. Assuming it's HO and on a 4x8 layout, the track plan really needs work. You have way to much track for the amount of area available. You don't have a classification yard, you have a stub end car storage yard. You need an arrival and departure track for a classification yard and you have neither. The yard is so small that you can only store a few cars anyway and you can't even switch it without fouling what looks like some kind of incomplete main line. You can only get to yard trackage from that crossover at the bottom, which means you have to back a train all the way from the crossover to the yard since the crossover is in the opposite direction of the yard ladder. That whole inside dead end circle that ends at the yard makes no sense. What's it used for? The only reason I can see it being there is to get to the yard and turntable. Why do yo need a turntable? Where will the out of service engines be stored. How about a maintenance track? The only thing your turntable can do right bow is reverse the direction of the engine. What track would you use to run around the train to get the engine on the other end of the train? The crossover at the top of the layout is really part of the mainline so you've created an "S" curve that will cause constant derailments. There are a lot of other problems but I think you get the picture
I'm sorry if this seems harsh but your track plan is nearly useless in its present state. It seems like you have no idea what your railroad is supposed to do or how it will do it. I really recommend you get the book Track Planning for Realistic Operation. One place to buy it is http://www.amazon.com/Track-Planning-Realistic-Operation-Railroader/dp/0890242275 but it can also be found at larger hobby shops. You need to spend some time reading it and coming up with a purpose for your railroad and then designing a track plan that fulfills that purpose.
Is your track plan HO? What software did you use to design it? How much space do you have. Assuming it's HO and on a 4x8 layout, the track plan really needs work. You have way to much track for the amount of area available. You don't have a classification yard, you have a stub end car storage yard. You need an arrival and departure track for a classification yard and you have neither. The yard is so small that you can only store a few cars anyway and you can't even switch it without fouling what looks like some kind of incomplete main line. You can only get to yard trackage from that crossover at the bottom, which means you have to back a train all the way from the crossover to the yard since the crossover is in the opposite direction of the yard ladder. That whole inside dead end circle that ends at the yard makes no sense. What's it used for? The only reason I can see it being there is to get to the yard and turntable. Why do yo need a turntable? Where will the out of service engines be stored. How about a maintenance track? The only thing your turntable can do right bow is reverse the direction of the engine. What track would you use to run around the train to get the engine on the other end of the train? The crossover at the top of the layout is really part of the mainline so you've created an "S" curve that will cause constant derailments. There are a lot of other problems but I think you get the picture
I'm sorry if this seems harsh but your track plan is nearly useless in its present state. It seems like you have no idea what your railroad is supposed to do or how it will do it. I really recommend you get the book Track Planning for Realistic Operation. One place to buy it is http://www.amazon.com/Track-Planning-Realistic-Operation-Railroader/dp/0890242275 but it can also be found at larger hobby shops. You need to spend some time reading it and coming up with a purpose for your railroad and then designing a track plan that fulfills that purpose.
my layout has a purpose : delivering marchandise around some shop and have a passenger train, so the passenger train would have to get on a siding to let the marchandise pass, AND i want a double rail in a curve, it look soooo scenic
it was a quick draw so there no problem
dimension : are 48 inch by 89, this is the place ive got, however there is still place to add more track after, on both side (3-4 feet)
edited -
its Ho scale, of course
it was a quick draw so there no problem
dimension : are 48 inch by 89, this is the place ive got, however there is still place to add more track after, on both side (3-4 feet)
edited -
its Ho scale, of course
Last edited by a moderator:
tankist
Active Member
not really on dcc topic
jul, i have to agree with everything jim said. have you already tried running it? that yard will really hold 2 cars on the longest line and those S branches on the bottom are serving very little purpose.
take a look at : http://www.chipengelmann.com/Trains/4x8Contest.html
some nice layout ideas. not fully applicable to you since you missing from full 8 feet but should give you an idea.
jul, i have to agree with everything jim said. have you already tried running it? that yard will really hold 2 cars on the longest line and those S branches on the bottom are serving very little purpose.
take a look at : http://www.chipengelmann.com/Trains/4x8Contest.html
some nice layout ideas. not fully applicable to you since you missing from full 8 feet but should give you an idea.
Almost all four or six function decoders can be set to have the ditch lights (the proper name for those lights on the pilot) flash. It's just a matter of hooking up the ditch lights to the correct terminal on the decoder and setting a CV from your control station. The Digitrax TF4 is one example of a decoder that lets you control extra lighting functions. However, not all railroads have flashing ditch lights. Some never flash, some flash all the time, and some only flash when the engineer sounds the horn. If you're modeling a specific prototype, you should check into this before ordering a decoder.
Yes, it is a function of the decoder, at least according to Digitrax.
