I'm in the planning stages of my layout and am trying to decide on how to handle turnouts. The layout is HO scale Atlas True Tack which I will eventually separate and put the track on cork controlled by a Digitrax Super Chief Extra. After reading through forum I am returning my unopened MRC and ordered the Digitrax instead.
I know Bachmann makes DCC turnouts which would by handy, but they are also expensive. Atlas has the DCC turnout control unit but it seems to be hard to find and I wonder if it is a good product or if it may have problems. The more I research the more I am thinking that I might be better off just wiring my switches the old way. If so, will I run into problems mixing regular switches with DCC? Is the Atlas DCC Turnout Control Unit a good solution?
HO & N scale. Digitrax DCC. Mostly L&N (Louisville and Nashville) railway using a mix of brands. Back in the hobby after a looooong absence.
You should not have a problem wiring turnouts the old fashion way, other then organizing the wiring into a control panel The power will of course be have seperate from your DCC sysem. You can use the AC terminals from an old trainset power pack to supply the voltage. You might also want to consider installing a capactive dischage unit, wich will propuce a higher output while at the same time potecting the coils on the turnouts from burning out.
Joe Staten Island West
I second the old fashion way.. DCC turnout control would nice if you have a big complex layout and want to do routing but if your layout is of average size, the cost and ease of wiring it and using the stock switches is hard to beat.
DCC your turnouts if you want
1. Auto throwing (Rabbit/hare)
2. throw a switch from multiple remote locations. (ie one switch at yard, another in tower)
For example: Yard operator wants to be able to throw switch locally on a lead out
While the dispatch in the tower might want to throw it remotely for a train coming off the main into the yard.
Any good DCC turnout decoder should offer hookups for a pushbutton flip option as well as position status leds.
Those Bachmann turnouts are considerably higher than standard roadbed track. (~1/8") So you'll need to compensate for that.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
If you wire the turnouts in the traditional way, back to a control panel, the initial layout for a single-pole, double-throw momentary contact toggle for each turnout is pretty small. If you decide at a later time to add DCC to the mix, you can easily upgrade, and having the wires right there at the control panel should make the job relatively easy.
I've had my layout with DCC for about 7 years now, and I've never felt the need to add DCC control to my turnouts. If I wanted to, though, it wouldn't be much of a problem.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
My layout contains both DCC controled turnouts and regular AC powered turnouts. I used the AC outputs as suggested by another reader from an old DC power pack I had. About half my turnouts are controled this way and the rest I use the digitrax DS52 stationary decoders. I will eventually phase out the AC turnouts but for now this is working quite well. I use both Kato and Atlas turnouts.
Incidently I have the DC power pack wired as one side of a DPDT toggle with my DCC on the other side so the layout can be powered either way. This worked well for testing while setting up the layout but since the DCC was installed I have not used the DC power for anything except power to the turnouts.
Modeling a railroad hypothetically set in time.