I have a Stewart FT A&B set in HO scale. The A unit was DCC ready and the B unit was just a "tag along" dummy (no motor). Last year I installed a Decoder into the A unit and all was good. Last month I saw the Walthers had the Stewart A unit Chassis with DCC & Sound on sale...so I got one.
After some basic tinkering, I now have a Stewart FT with the A unit having DCC & Sound and the B unit is now DCC only (I basically took the old A unit chassis and turned it around, put the B unit shell on it).
My question is how best do I run them in DCC together? Should I assign The A unit a number and the B unit a different number then "consist" them.... or should I assign them both the same number and run them as one engine?
What do you guys and gals think?
I consist mine, but that's just me. If you always run them together, you can assign them the same number, and that will work, too. Consisting gives you the freedom to run the A unit by itself without having to remove the B unit from the layout. Consisting will take up 3 slots in the "stack" on your throttle, while assigning the same address will only take one. If you have a lot of engines, that might be an issue.
You should do your best to "speed match" the two units by adjusting CVs so they will work together and not be "fighting" each other.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thanks Mister B,
My FT A&B are "linked" together by a "drawbar" so I really have no other option but to run them together.
At present I have three permanent lash ups two FA/B units and one FA-B-B-A unit all using a single address I have not yet had a speed matching problem at not one that I am aware of and the A-B-B-A all have sound. Yeah I know it may be a little on the over kill side but it sure sounds neat.
The only issues I could foresee would be A: the speed matching and B: the front and rear light configuration but running and A/B set up the lights are not an issue. Try it whats the worst thing that happens you'll have to consist them?
Meyblc My FT A&B are "linked" together by a "drawbar" so I really have no other option but to run them together.
Prototype FT's linked A-to-B units (and even ABBA sets) with drawbars, partially because of draft gear issues with standard couplers (they took up more space, which is why the B-unit trucks are not the same distance from the carbody ends.) Then the purchasing railroad would number the two units ###A and ###B - mainly to get around union 'a crew in every locomotive' agreements and state full-crew laws.
If your two units are drawbar-linked into one locomotive, a single address should do. I will leave the technicalities of balancing the two to work together to someone who doesn't control silent locomotives with a potentiometer and a DPDT switch.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with single-unit diesel-hydraulics and analog DC)