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mfrns01, [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by mfrns01 I have a question. Will a DCC equiped locomotive run on a block wiring layout. The reason for the question is that I have block wiring now, but plan to switch to DCC in the future, but I want a new Loco....Mike [/quote] Yes. A DCC decoder equipped locomotive will run on a DC layout. This is an NMRA DCC standard. However, you will not be able to access the DCC features while under DC power. One manufacturer (Broadway Limited Imports) does provide some DCC features (sounds) to the locomotive while under DC power, but not all the DCC features are available. Go ahead and buy that loco you want. If your layout is wired using common rail wiring, you should look into changing this when you convert the layout to DCC. Even though is is possible to operate one's whle layout with only two wires and one block on DCC, it is not recommended unless you have a small layout (4x8 for example). Larger DCC layouts break the layout into "power" blocks. These are like your current electrical blocks (which you can convert to power blocks), except each power block is connected to a seperate DCC booster, or through seperate circuit breakers to a single DCC booster. What this does is when a short occurs in one power block (from a derailment for example), only that block will shut down. The rest of the layout will remain powered and trains will continue to run in the other blocks. I recommend you read up on DCC. I refer you to any or all of the three DCC books mentioned in other posts to this topic: Digital Command Control by Stan Ames, Rutger Friberg, and Ed Loizeaux; The Digitrax Big Book of DCC by Digitrax, DCC Made Easy by Lionel Strang. The Digital Command Control book was written by members of the NMRA DCC working group which worked to establi***he NMRA DCC standards so any DCC decoder equipped loco could operate on any DCC manufacturers' system. The Digitrax book may seem oriented toward Digitrax products, but the DCC concepts presented are applicable to DCC in general and therefor to all DCC manufacturers products. I have not read the DCC made Easy book, but I'm sure it is good as well. also to www.WiringForDCC.com website. Dale B.
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