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Several conversations at the local hobby store, as well as several posts on this forum (and others) have led me to bring this up for open discussion: What do you think about DCC? Like it? Hate it? Don't understand it? Too expensive?
I'll throw in my take in a large post in a couple of days.
Posts: 13 | From: Richmond Hill, Ga, USA | Registered: Feb 2003
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My take on DCC is this. It is here to stay. Like it or not. I am fortunate to be helping a friend with an extensive site on DCC. This puts me in familiar standing with alot of the products available and alot of the current information about it. There are two things in DCC that have held true over the last several years. The first is that the capabilities of DCC are ever expanding at a rate that makes it hard to keep track of just what it can do. The second is that the price of necessary gear is falling at a substantial rate. Last Year Digitrax introduced a comprehensive starter system called the Zypher. It has many features common in the higher end DCC systems yet at the not to outragous price of $199.00.
Looking at the Selection of MRC packs in the Walthrs Catalog, The top end of MRC packs is at $139.00. I ask this question. How many would spend the extra 60 bucks to get a system that nearly eliminates block wiring (Reversing sections still need wired)Can run 10 trains simultanously, and provide a simple plug and play style of expansion. vs the hassle you would have to go through for conventional block control? If you look at what you would have invested in convential power supplies alone to run 10 trains simulainously, Even using full featured sound decodrs, (Which are presently priced at around $30.00 a piece depending on style) The cost of a Zypher DCC system and the decoders makes the economics of the two a forgone conclusion. I am at present making the conversion to DCC. I have been in the Hobby of model railroading for nearly 16 years. I am tired of wiring for block controls and switches. With DCC I need to run only one main track power bus and associated feeder wires. Rather than nearly 10 times that amount compared with a comprible block control system.
Expanding DCC is also much less painless than block control. Everytime I have added blocks and throttles to block control, it has meant nearly a total rewiring of the layout in order to accomodate the expansion. With DCC, you just add extra command stations, throttles, and Boosters with little more that wiring everything to gether with prewired 6 conductor phone cords. You dont have to connect the track bus from one booster to anothther (It is even reccomended that you do not do so to preven shutting down your whole layout in even of an electrical problem) as the separate power and communication connections make the whole thing appear seamless. This makes DCC ideal for modelers like me who are presently confined to small space limititaions but would like to build their layout so that it may be included into a larger empire at a later date. I can use the Zypher to run my present swithcing layout with loop around staging, (A double HOne-Trak module with the staging built to loop back around for continous running) yet when I get more room and expand, I can add extra command stations, boosters, and throotles to suit the situation.
DCC also has the advantage of block control in that everything is standard. While there are issiues between manufacturors as how compatable physical hardware is connected to eachother, the signal from each and every DCC system is the same. So you can take a locomotive with a Digitrax decoder, a Lenz decoder, and a North Coast Engineering Decoder and run them on the same layout equipped with DCC. This is what allowed block control to grow and flourish as it had a common control signal and a common standard for contriling it. In both instances, we can Credit the NMRA for their efforts in this neccessary area of standards.
Finally I think that DCC will soon become the defacto standard control system in model railroaing. We already have ER models selling starter sets with the well regarded Roco DCC starter system. The price is not that much more than a conventionally powered train set. Atlas and Con-Cor are selling their locomotives already preequipped with DCC decoders. MRC has been selling Walthers Trainline and Athearn locos so equiped since they entered DCC. With the price of DCC dropping as it gains popularity, I feel that by the end of this decade, that block control will be confined to museum displays and the back issiues of Model Rialroder.
Time and technology are changing. With a new generation of model railroaders reaching prominance, it is going to be interesting to see what directions the hobby goes.
Posts: 315 | From: Lander,WY USA | Registered: Jan 2002
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I think DCC will be the method in the future, but right now, block control is still the best. I have never seen a DCC system work flawlessly yet. There is always some problem or quirk. It is too new of a system to work well. In theory, it is an excellent system, but in reality, it still has too many problems.
------------------ Elias Valley Railroad (N-scale) www.geocities.com/evrr
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I have to disagree with Konstantine about the reliablilty of DCC. If anything I find that DCC is more relaible than DC as you dont have to keep track of all those annoying little block switches. Reverse loops are handled automaticly. and there is much less wiring to keep track of. All of these help contribute to the relaiblity DCC. DCC as we have known it has been around for nearly 10 years now. In that time, they have worked alot of bugs out. Presently develpment is concentraed on expanding its capabilitities.
[This message has been edited by Challenger (edited 03-06-2003).]
Posts: 315 | From: Lander,WY USA | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
DCC stands for Digital Command Control. In simple terms it is basicly a computer control system for your model rialroad. It eliminates nearly all the block wiring common with DC control. If you read my first posting above, I explain my reasons for using it.
Posts: 315 | From: Lander,WY USA | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Well it took a bit longer than I thought but someone answered like I was expecting, hence the reason for this thread.
There are a lot of people out there who either don't know about DCC, are confused about it or are just plain intimidated by it. (The last being just plain silly). Unfortunately, this group of people largely consist of the very people to whom this product should be most aggressively marketed: the new or returning model railroader.
Lets face it, realistic operation/operating fun has to be in the top three on your list of "what I want out of MR" DCC or Digital Command Control allows this to become a reality more quickly, more easily and more cost/labor effectively than ever before. Best of all, we are now really starting to enjoy the fruits of all the NMRA's efforts to maintain common standards. Most manufacturers have embraced this technology and have retooled so that new products are either DCC ready or equipped. And it all works together!(GRR says the Windows user, SIGH says the Apple user, ??x10-6(3 * 1/3) says the Linux user).
For all you lurkers out there and anyone new to the hobby, dont be intimidated by DCC. Let me "de-mystify" it a bit. DCC is a control sytem, similar in purpose to a "power pack" or "transformer" as they have been termed for years by many. This control system works via a chip that is in an engine(and other applications as well but I am going to keep this very simple). This chip can be easily inserted into a waiting recepticle in most new equipment. If new equipment is not "DCC Ready" than a bit of modification will be in order. (Not to worry-it ain't brain surgery-you can even pay to have it done to your equipment for you).
"Okay" you say,"so what does that do for me?". This system will allow you to operate several engines(exact amount will depend on equipment) at the same time in a very realistic manner. Not to mention its a whole lot of fun!! The best part is, you wont have a gazillion wires to run in order to make this happen. Run power to the track and that is basically it (on larger and/or more complex layouts there are a few more considerations to maintain a strong, steady amount of current/voltage).
In a short amount of time with not a whole lot of effort, you can find yourself setting up your two favorite freight haulers to be tagged together to pull a long coal drag around that continuous loop that you insisted on having in your layout. You set it for a scale 40mph and then turn your attention to working in your yard and shuffling cars with your old switcher. Or maybe you move a couple of engines around in your maintenance area and move your steamer to the ash pit while another sits at the tipple taking on coal. This is all done, mind you, with one system. Each locomotive action is independent of the others. You are not worried about flipping toggles for this block and that block and ...oh wait, I'm coming up to the reversing loop, let me get this switch... This is not how a real train runs. With DCC, you dont have to either.
There are applications now and on the not too distant horizon that are amazing. Sound is being tweaked at an amazing rate and w/in a year will probably be museum quality. Currently, it is great-and its just getting better. With applications in trackage and turnouts, it wont be too long before you will have the ability to quickly program a consist and route to include automatic turnout routing, automatic speed reduction to name but a few. Applications in signaling are equally boundless.
As prices continue to come down these systems become even more "new-user" friendly. Now if the manufacturers would gear a bit more marketing savy and dollars toward the "new" crowd, DCC could explode.
Posts: 13 | From: Richmond Hill, Ga, USA | Registered: Feb 2003
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The best part is, you wont have a gazillion wires to run in order to make this happen. Run power to the track and that is basically it (on larger and/or more complex layouts there are a few more considerations to maintain a strong, steady amount of current/voltage).
