another stupid question

[Anonymous]

I am a novice so be kind. In what scale equipment can you find reasonably priced steam engines that have both smoke and sound? I see a lot of G scale that are equipped that way but are too big and expensive. Also can you have smoke and sound without a DCC?

Bill Mc

[rolleiman]

I can say that the only HO scale locos that have smoke I've seen are Bachman.. Not the spectrum line but regular bachman.. Quality isn't that great, the smoke units will burn out quickly, IF they work at all, and you'd have to add your own sound.. I Think Broadway Limited offered(s) a Sourthern Pacific Cab Forward with both but it's pricey. O scale comes to mind but again, pricey.. That all said, I have to ask, Do you REALLY want smoke?? There is also the option of adding a smoke unit if you want to get into it.

Jeff

[Anonymous]

Maybe I could do without the smoke although it would be nice. I'm more concerned about sound. Everthing I see is digitally controlled raz-a-ma-taz. My wife bought a really cheap plastic Christmas train with all sorts of sounds - chug-chug, air brakes, bells and whistles. If they can put that in a $30 train surely it can be done in a regular scale train. I guess I could just buy another cheap one like that and mount the electronics in a O scale steam loco.

Bill Mc

[MisterBeasley]

Many serious modellers regard smoke as a "gimmick" they can do without. I don't think it's so much the concept of smoke as the side-effects. The smoke systems all use some kind of oil, which ends up as an oily residue after it comes out the stack. This stuff gets all over your carefully-crafted scenery and trains, and it really makes a mess of your track when it settles. Many folks, railroaders and non-railroading family members, are not too thrilled with the smell, either. If someone figured out a way to get the effect of smoke without the smell or residue, I bet a lot of people would then start to take it seriously.

As for sound, most of the effort today is going into sound decoders for DCC engines. Because HO is the most popular gauge these days, that's where manufacturers are aiming their products. N-scale is lagging, probably because fitting speakers into the already tight locomotive shells is a daunting task.

Personally, I think DCC itself is the best "gimmick" going. It really adds to your ability to run your trains, not just your track. It also makes multiple operators a reality, even on small layouts. I brought a bunch of HO trains out of 40-year-old attic boxes early last year, and I had originally planned on working with DC for a while. When I did get DCC, though, all thoughts of DC immediately vanished. It really is that good.

[Anonymous]

BTW, I realize I posted this question under the wrong category. I have no idea how it got there - thought I was under general discussion. I have so many windows open on my computer, I feel like I'm operating a switchyard manually.

[Anonymous]

MisterBeasley,
Thanks for your reply. I have a wife with a nose like a coon hound so based on what you said I guess smoke is out.

Please explain what you mean by DC. Can't you just get a loco that makes a chug-chug sound when it's moving, hisses when it stops and occassionaly toots the whistle without controlling it digitally? I'm basically going to end up with a layout that some 5 and 6 yr olds will be playing with. I don't want expensive equipment and digital controllers.

Bill Mc

[ARTHILL]

DC means Direct Current and is the old standard control system. Many of us still use it. Broadway Linited Imports makes some very nice steam engines that make all the sounds. I have one and it is very nice, but they cost from $190 to $400 and a few even more. I concur that DCC (Digital Command Control)) is more complicated than some want. Get the kids used to the trains and decide you all like HO trains and convert to DCC in a few years. Have fun and go slowly so you can run the trains. If what you want is toy trains, Lional three rail still is a good option to start with.

[selector]

Hi. Most of the "upscale" decoders will run on either Direct Current (the old fashioned DC) or the modern Digital Command and Control (DCC which is actually a modified alternating current). Their circuitry detects both forms of current.

If you operate in DC, the loco decoder will make some sounds automatically, such as blower hiss, injectors, brake squeel if you accelerate past a fair clip, say 40 scale mph prior to stopping.

However, while some of the controllable sounds can be managed in DC, not all of them can. Brake squeel/flange/squeel is an example. Also, the individual configuration variables (CV's) that are the digital instructions to the decoder for each action and sound, can be modified with a DCC controller, but not with a simple DC rectifier. For example, your decodered locomotive will come from the factory with no values in either CV 3 or CV 4, the configurations for inertia and momentum, respectively. What that means is that a DCC system will allow you to input a numerical value, using your number pad on the paddle, to make the loco accelerate slowly as if it were under a heavy load, and to coast longer when you shut off the throttle due to many tons of train at speed. In DC, the loco starts fast and stops fast as you turn the dial. Also, if you have more than one loco on powered track, when you activate the throttle, all locos will do the same thing...exactly the same thing, in concert. No individual behaviours that you would have with DCC.

If you are not interested in all the sounds, and in controlling a locomotive's performance, other than reverse, bell, and horn, then use a DC controller. You can always get into DCC later. However, you should be aware that you are driving a Ferrari to Church on Sundays; lots of purchased and unexploited potential.