Im currently working on a major project but trying to keep things on a budget . I would like to use Bachmann DCC but dont know much about its reliability . No one has mentioned how good it is or if it has issues that need to be addressed . I have an old Tyco and a few Mantua steam locomotives and an older Athearn GP 35 that I would like to put DCC into . I wish to keep it all simple and running the entire layout from just 1 controller . I know how to hardwire these things very easily , but I must hear from others how the Bachmann products perform . Please let me know this before I jump into it soon .
To see the rebuilding of the Sierra layout and other pics of my projects , go here -> http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=484170840&albumId=902972
Hello, and welcome. Always nice to see a new face, especially one that is smiling!
If there is a thread about problems related to reliability with the EZ-Command, I have no memory of it. I think the system is quite reliable, and that would be no worse, or better, than any of the others commercially sold.
I can't say I would encourage anyone to actually purchase that system, but that's a whole 'nuther thread topic, and they are there for the searching. (see "Search Community" to the right --->)
-Crandell
Hey, Kevin!
To ride Crandel's coat tails: to the forum! Good to have you aboard!
Kevin, I had the E-Z Command for a year before switching to my NCE Power Cab. Like you, I was on a tight budget but wanted to get my feet wet in DCC. I was able to purchase an E-Z Command for $53, as well as decoders for both my locomotives at the time. So, for ~$100, I had two DCC-equipped locomotives and was enjoying DCC. Life was sweet!
I already knew the "limitations" of the E-Z Command before purchasing it. I could live with the fact that it only had ten "2-digit" locomotive addresses and couldn't access CVs in order to tweak my locomotive's running or lighting performance. However, it did prove to be a very reliable DCC system for what it was designed to do:
I eventually sold my E-Z Command to another forum member here and he got an additional 3+ years out of his before purchasing his Digitrax Super Chief. (I believe Ken still use it to test run locomotives.)
Kevin, if monies are an issue and you are just looking for a good, basic, no-frills, reliable DCC system, the E-Z Command will serve you very well. However, with that said, I would only buy one IF...it was heavily discounted. If you find yourself spending full MSRP for a E-Z Command ($100-$110), I would strongly encourage you to spend the extra $30-$40 and purchase a more fully-featured startup system like a Digitrax Zephyr or NCE Power Cab.
Lastly, I see you are in my neck of the woods, Kevin. Although I have yet to make it over to Fostoria, I've heard it's a great place to railfan. I have been to the two sets of double-diamonds at Marion. Another terrific place to visit - along with the EL depot and the AC Interlocking tower.
Kevin, keep us posted on what you end up doing. I will end this post on a classic "Home of 7 president's" chuckler:
(Oh, go ahead, fellow Ohioans...Laugh out loud! )
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
The information has been a big help . Im just looking for a DCC system to run in the meantime until I further my operation with the Sierra layout . Basic function and operation is just what Im in need of for right now . The guys from the Norwalk and Western RR Club where right next door to me at RailFest here in town this past weekend , and they were running NCE DCC cabs which were very nice . They were showing the Pelton brothers and I the basics of those systems and how it all worked . I was very impressed with the whole idea of DCC and it had influenced my decision greatly . Now , the N&WRRC were running a Broadway Limited 2-8-2 Mikado and a Life-Like Proto 2000 GP 30 off of NCE and they worked flawlessly .
I can get a Bachmann EZ DCC cab right now for $ 40 from the Pelton`s and it works great . All I need to do is get it , buy the decoders , wire them up , and get to running under DCC for the first time . The Sierra was designed for DCC in mind , and all blocks are powered thus far . Instead of running branch wiring from a main buss wire , I decided to run from a power block instead . That insured power throughout that was balanced in voltage . I havent had any power drop-offs as of yet .
If you ever make it to Fostoria , let me know ahead of time when you are coming . The guys and I can direct you to numerous places around town for some great train action and very nice spots to get pics . Normally , we are at South Poplar St. at the CSX tracks . Its only a block away from the Iron Triangle ! We usually meet Friday nights for a cookout and just to relax and have a great time watching trains .
Reliable? Absolutely.
Powerful enough to run 2 or 3 sound engines at once? Absolutely. Size of the layout is irrelevant, number of power using devices like engines & lighted cars determines your power needs.
The reason you can find such deals on them is because so many people have seen that they need something better. It is not power or reliability that makes so many people upgrade it is the severe limitations in capability.
If you really have your heart set on one, Bachmann offers them bundled with a DCC engine for less money that most people pay for a DCC engine alone.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
The limitations of the Bachmann DCC is the least of my concerns . I dont plan on having all the bells and whistles that others have . I just want reliable operation under one DCC cab and nothing fancy . I have no lighted cars so I wont have to worry about having a few more amps of power . Since I have many locomotives from different manufacturers , it has been my opinion to have them all run under one DCC controller instead of the old DC system and seperate block wiring . That just gets old after awhile . When I built the Sierra , I kept in mind that I wanted DCC but wired all the blocks as I would with DC but no rail insulators or power cut-offs such as toggle switches . All track is live .
Then the Bachmann unit ought to work for what you need. I tend to think of it as a repalcement for the block power toggles, or all those Atlas slide switches. Instead of turning off power to a siding to park a train, what you do it turn off 'control' of the locomotive to park the train. The 9 buttons on the Bachmann serve as a different way to park a loco.
In essence this is what all DCC systems do, but any system in the next tier above the Bachmann allow addressing the locos by their road numbers. The Bachmann just has the 9 buttons to select differnt DCC locos, you have to remember or write down in the space provided on teh controller that button 1 is the 2-6-0, button 2 is the Porter, etc.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
SteamBuff71The limitations of the Bachmann DCC is the least of my conc
Same here, I bought Tom's old E-Z and ran it for 3 more years! It ran 3 BLI steam engines with sound with no real problem.
Reason I finally went with a Digitrax is two fold.
1 Had a wring problem that had nothing to do with the E-Z and was eating decoders. To thin of a bus wire to the new section.
2 Had a MRC Power Station 8 amp booster hooked up to the E-Z. You take problem 1 and add it to 8 amp booster you have cooked decoders. When there was a short, small bus wire did not let the booster know there was a problem, it just gave the problem more power and did not shut down?
I still like the E-Z a lot, but I wanted walk around throttle even after Simon 1966 found the thin bus wire. Many will say the E-Z is bad because you cannot change CV's. I never use my Digitrax SEB to change CV's. I use a Digitrax PR 3 with Decoder Pro free soft ware and use the computer.
E-Z Ken
I hate Rust
Well Ken , that would definitely kill the decoders for sure . That was one thing that I did take into consideration was the wire gauges . Giving this much thought yesterday , I decided to rewire the entire layout with just one gauge of wire from the power block strip to the individual zones ( blocks ) so that problem should never occur . If it does , then I was wrong and would have to do it the same way as everyone else .
I know alot of others like using the main bus wires and have the feeders branch from those , but Im going the other way and just using a terminal strip I got from Radio Shack and run my wiring from it . It has worked very well over the past 2 years , and as I have said before , I have had no problems as of yet . No power drop-offs , no stalled trains , no short circuits , nothing .Thus I see no need for a booster either . Another big plus to this is that if there ever is a problem with the wiring , its easy to diagnose and can be fixed within one minute . That is how much thought I had put into this . Ease of everything . It has worked so well for me that Im going to wire up my next layout the very same way . I dont see any reason why DCC wouldnt work on it too . There are other ways in doing these things without having to refer to a book or MR . It seems that everyone nowadays has to do what comes recommended instead of thinking about other ways that work just as well and are much simpler possibilities when it comes to the wiring in order to run DCC . There are other ways guys . Just think about it .
Yes, this hobby has many ways to do just about everything. And some of them even work.
I don't see much wrong with what you intend to do, although I would not want to solder 12 or 14 gauge wires to my rails here and there. I find that 22 gauge lengths from a more robust solid copper bus running roughly parallel to the main line works very well. It is a logical progression that the electronics engineers favour as well, and is recommended by those who write DCC how-to's.
Hey , Crandell . Im using 22 gauge throughout the entire layout itself . I dont solder to the rails because of the fact that Im using Life-Like Power Lok track with its terminal feeds . All I did was run the wiring through the table surface , put quick disconnects on that wiring plus on the leads from the terminal strip . It all works fine and dandy for now and it should for a very long time . Hopefully soon I`ll have some pics of my wiring on my MySpace link that all of you can see what Im talking about and it may give all of you a few ideas here and there once in awhile .
Oh , and another thing . If some of you are new comers now logging in and see our forums , dont be intimidated by what we are talking about . Its fairly simple and straight forward to figure out how to wire up a layout and run it on conventional DC power or on DCC . If you have any questions , please ask . One of us would be more than happy to answer you .
Another "me too", ditto to all of the information already posted, I have been using it for around 3-4 years, reliabilty is excellent, price was great and it fills my needs to this date. It is limited but the basic features are there for lights and basic sound. I currently have 5 locos, but never do I operate more than 2 at a time. When I eventually upgrade it will be because I would like to take advantage of the sound features on some decoders. Affordable DCC, the rising quality of locomotives is a couple of reasons that really got me off of the fence and back into MRR (that and some space opened up in the home)
Have Fun!
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
I originally purchased an MRC Prodigy Advanced for my HO model railroad, but along the way I got diverted into building an N scale layout for my then five year old (now eight). I was very happy with the Prodigy but it definitely was not kid friendly, and MRC doesn't offer a simplified 'operator' throttle. My pockets weren't deep enough to consider a switch to NEC or Digitrax at the time, so I opted for the Bachmann EZ Command. For a simple N scale layout it works fine, and my son and I happily operate two trains at a time. For Having young children it is perfect. It is eay to set up, easy to understand, and has big controls that are easily understood. I am very happy with it for the application I am using it for.
Having said that, you have to have realistic expectations. It is a simple system, and although you can do basic consisting, that is about as fancy as it gets. It is only one amp, so one sound equipped HO scale loco may well be all it could comfortably handle. It has only eight function buttons and offers very limited expandability. Its a great beginner's system but look for something more capable if you are looking for anything beyond basic train control and simple functions (e.g. lights, horn, etc).
You may want to consider the Digitrax Zephyr starter system as a very good balance between features, cost, power, and expandability. When I was looking for the simpler option to the Prodigy, Digitrax wasn't available where I was living at the time (yes of course I could have ordered it over the internet, but I was lucky enough to have a local 'train' store and strongly felt that it was important to all of the modellers to support it, as I certainly received outstanding support in return, as I do today from my hobby store in my new location). As it is, having sold my Prodigy to a friend anxious to upgrade from his earlier version, I will be looking closely at Digitrax when I do get the HO plan off the drawing board.
Steam Buff, what gauge wire are you using? My ill fated bus was a mer 22. I used it because it was all I had on hand. I wanted to see if the new section had power and how the engines tracked. I was going to change it, but never did. Well not till it cooked $200.00 in decoders.
Do you know the Quarter test? It is a must when you add any wiring or rails.
After you are up and running, look at the Decoder Pro software. For 3 years I did not want to mess with CV's. But, now that I know what I was missing I am sure glad I have it now.
Hope to see you post more.
Cuda Ken
Yes Ken , Im running 22 agc grade gauge . No problem . Ive been running that for awhile now and it has been doing fine . But maybe after awhile I may change it just in case . I seen the pics of those cooked decoders . DANG ! . Thats got to suck . Then after a bit , I got to thinking about it and there was one thing you didnt mention . When you hooked up all the feeders to that new section and routed a booster , did you consider also adding more wiring to the common rails to return the un used voltage and amps ? They may have saved alot of the problems of cooking the decoders . A short would burn them good if the power had nowhere to go but to the decoders . Its just a thought . For an example - at the main terminal , you have a 12 volt rating at 2 amps going in and returning . At the other end of the track , which could be 30 feet away , you have a 12 volt rating at 2 anps going in but only 0.15 returning . All of this is pretty simple to figure out . The longer the distance that amps have to travel , the lower the rating is at the end of that distance on returning . That is common to have a booster but you have to have the same in return , as a neutral in a home electrical service that returns un used power and amps . Hope this helps you in some way . I have all of my commons wired as I do my hots . Therefore there is no problems so far . Try that and see how it works out . I know that feeders are placed at every 3 feet for DCC , but please consider that also for the commons also . Not just the one wire for the entire system as suggested on Atlas track plans that I have noticed . They just dont get it ......yet .
Yes I have done the quarter test many times , but one little trick up my sleeve . Its called a multi-tester . It works everytime . I check my voltage , amperage , and ohms . I check every single zone to insure proper operation of the trains within that zone .
After awhile I may advance into the field of DCC but for now I just need something very simple to operate . Ive got 3 young daughters and they enjoy running their dad`s trains also , so I must think of them too . After all , its just a hobby , but also a lifestyle .
I like the NCE power cab. Simple and straight forward, It enables you to read and write CVs and see what you are doing. I'm also amazed at how many locos I can run on the system. My first DCC was a Zephyr but we did not get along well together (long story). What ever you buy you will learn and probably like after getting used to it.
My
Lee
Thanks for the suggestion Lee . Its much appreciated around here .
I have seen and handled an NCE unit and I liked it very much . Im hoping that after awhile , I`ll jump into that and get use to it . Im also planning on buying some new steamers for my layouts so I`ll have newer and better power for my trains plus extra features such as sound .
Heres another question . Has anyone ever wired up an old Tyco 2-8-0 for DCC ? Just curious ! Mine has a powered tender , the locomotive is a roller . Not much room in the tender but I dont feel like replacing it either . It is such a good performer .
Lets keep this forum going . I enjoy everyones input and knowledge that has been gained . This is not only helping me out , but many others also .
SteamBuff71 Thanks for the suggestion Lee . Its much appreciated around here . I have seen and handled an NCE unit and I liked it very much . Im hoping that after awhile , I`ll jump into that and get use to it . Im also planning on buying some new steamers for my layouts so I`ll have newer and better power for my trains plus extra features such as sound . Heres another question . Has anyone ever wired up an old Tyco 2-8-0 for DCC ? Just curious ! Mine has a powered tender , the locomotive is a roller . Not much room in the tender but I dont feel like replacing it either . It is such a good performer . Lets keep this forum going . I enjoy everyones input and knowledge that has been gained . This is not only helping me out , but many others also .
In response to your question about the Tyco loco, if it is smooth running at low speeds in DC then you could convert it. If it lurches and isn't smooth, then it isn't worth it. I have some locos that aren't smooth running.
You can still use them however, but not in service on your layout. I have cousins that are 7 years old and I let them play with them whenever they visit. I even set those trains up under the Christmas tree and whenever I host a holiday event where there are kids, you can bet that they will get played with.
Will
To be honest Freak, you are talking way over my head! I never really caught on to electrical stuff. Funny thing I can rebuild car engines, cut cars in half and weld them together, do the body and paint work! I have not BBQ a decoder for 6 months now and my DCC will shut down anywhere I do the quarter test.
Most of my bus and feeder wires are 22 gauge. Just the new section I got cheap and used 18 gauge. Most of my bench only has feeders about ever 10 feet and seems to be doing fine.
Far as your Tyco engine, look up a member that calls him self Darth Santa Fe, he did one up RIGHT! Darth build Browsers Steam Engines, he took his talent and turned it lose on a Chattanooga.
By the way, what is your first name, you know mine.
Im very sorry that I had lost you in that electrical mess . My father and I do contracting work for Caterpillar and John Deere on their electrical harnesses , so our knowledge is ever increasing . So , I guess at having a masters degree at electrical engineering from ITT , a masters at business management , and a bach at accounting , and sign my employee`s pay checks every weekend . makes me a " Freak " , then so be it . But I must say - I do not judge others as you may do . Let this be a lesson to you on the name calling . This is not a place for it . Maybe you should read my bio real well .
As for my old Tyco , I decided not to do it . Bachmann has a very nice 2-8-0 and I ordered it last night .
Kevin
Kevin, current limiters are recommended on systems with multiple decoders where the draw is above about 2 amps, and for reasons you would understand only too well. Once inexpensive, and apparently quite satisfactory (I use 'em) method is simply to solder a single 12 volt tail-light bulb in series to the portion of the layout that you want to protect. If you get a short, the decoder won't fry because the tail-light becomes the limiting device....and indicates the location of the problem on a well-delineated layout by glowing brightly.
BTW, I have no doubt that Ken meant no slight...it is just his style to use a diminutive version of a person's user name now and then. He meant no ill will....pretty darned sure.
Opps, I was thinking of a member who name is Steam Freak, hences the slip when I called you Freak!
Sorry Kevin, did not mean to call you Freak.
cudaken Cuda Ken
I did'nt think that sounded like you.
Lee , its okay , and Ken , apology accepted . I had no idea you were refering to someone else that is a " Steam Freak " . Im one too . That I will admit to ! Ask my wife LOL .
Okay . Now back to our subject . I think Im going to be real happy with the Bachmann EZ DCC because of the fact that it would also be easy enough for my children to operate it . I am however , going to get NCE also just for myself to operate . Since the locomotives that I ordered have DCC already installed , its only a matter of time before I get a hang of it . So far to date ordered are - Bachmann 4-4-0 Richmond , Bachmann 4-6-0 , Bachmann 2-8-0 , and a Bachmann 2-10-0 Decapod . Thats just for starts . Later I`ll add some BLI locos also .
Sheesh, I addressed you as "Dave" in my last post, Kevin. My apologies, and I have since corrected it.
Kevin, how much is the power cab? I have not used one or priced one. If you are going to have two DCC system and if you want to run two trains at the same time on one main line. I would look at the Digitrax Empire Builder. Reason I like my so much is due to the DT 400 throttle. You can control 2 engines at the same time with ease. I have 3 mains, set 1 train moving on a line and leave it lone, then start second one and control it speed.
http://www.digitrax.com/prd_sebx_set.php
The DT 400 as been supersede by the DT 402. I got mine with power supply (they have to be bought sparely for some reason) for $300.00.
One last comment on calling you Freak, I would never do that just for the fact I am guessing from your picture you have Guns! I am a black power person my self. 54 Caliber Hawkins, if I hit something it is down for the count. Reloading, well that take a while!
Ken
Okay Ken , here is the answer to your question . Im going with the NCE PH-PRO 5 amp starter kit . It retails for $ 529.95 - but Toy Train Heaven has it for $ 413.36 . 20 % discount from MSRP . I have a layout just for the kids . Its small , just 4x6 but keeps them happy and my layout will have the NCE while they have the Bachmann .