Zephyr


S

Scottew7

Member
Heys guys I was wondering. I am planning to go all dcc and sound with my DCC ready engines. I was reading the intructions for the zephyr and if read it right i can consist my engines 2 or three ect... and the only engine that needs a dcc decoder is the lead engine? Its sound to good to be true because, i would put my crappy kato in the back and not have to spend the money on dcc and sound for it.
 
Nope! All engines must have DCC to consist. You can try and run DCC and DC models together, but you'll find it doesn't work.
 
Ok thanks its says you can add an analog loco to it. i assumed that was dc. Also do the engines all have to be facing foward? Real life they're not like that. It says that got to be facing the same way.
 
You can run one DC engine in a consist with DCC engines but there is no way to speed match the whole consist like you can with all DCC equipped engines. If you're lucky, the gearing will be close enough so it will work but, most of the time, it doesn't.

All the engines do not have to be facing the same way. You just change a CV in one you want to run long hood first so the decoder recognizes that is forward for that consist. When you deconsist the engines, you change the CV back to short hood forward. If you set up your consist with software like Decoder Pro, you just tell it which engines you want to run in what directiona and the computer sets everything up for you. The combination of JMRI, Decoder Pro (both free software) and the Digitrax PR3 interface are a great investment if you're going to really get into DCC.
 
Scottew7 said:
Ok thanks its says you can add an analog loco to it. i assumed that was dc...
Click to expand...

Yes, that is correct. You can even run one DCC loco with more than one DC loco in a single consist, but as has been mentioned, you can not speed match the DC locos. If all of the DC locos you want to run together happen to be closely matched in speed, then you could speed match the DCC locos to your DC locos and get it it to work pretty good, but I would not count on doing it this way. When you run DC locos on a DCC system, they tend to emit an annoying buzzing sound, and they tend to run hotter than normal. There are some people who run DC locos on there DCC system on a regular basis, but most, even if they orginally plan to, rarely do it other than for testing the loco before installing a decoder.

Scottew7 said:
...Also do the engines all have to be facing foward? Real life they're not like that. It says that got to be facing the same way.
Click to expand...
Actually, what it says is they have to be "headed in the same physical direction." They have to ready to move in the same direction, not pointing in the same direction. If engine #1 is facing to the right and engine #2 is facing to the left and you want the front of the consist to be to the right, then when you add engine #1 make sure it's direction is set to forward and when you add engine #2 make sure it's direction is set to reverse. You do not have to program any CV's to accomplish this, just make sure you set the direction correctly on the throttle when you add them to the consist.
 
A very easy alternative I have found when consisting locomotives heading in opposite directions:
1- choose lead locomotive.

2-choose trailing locomotive

If trailing locomotive is heading "backwards", simply reverse the direction of the lead unit (like it's going to back up), hit "mu" then the trailing unit's number, then "+".
Both engines will then travel in the same direction (forward or reverse) until you remove the trailing unit from the consist.
 
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