mobilman44 Hi! May I add to the OP's question......... I have a Digitrax SS system, and will want to run a number of ABBA f unit consists (all powered). Would it be best to program each AB units together, or to program the ABBA units together. Of course the first assumes I will use consists of AB or ABBA units, while the second assumes I'll keep them together..........? Mobilman44
Hi!
May I add to the OP's question.........
I have a Digitrax SS system, and will want to run a number of ABBA f unit consists (all powered). Would it be best to program each AB units together, or to program the ABBA units together. Of course the first assumes I will use consists of AB or ABBA units, while the second assumes I'll keep them together..........?
Mobilman44
You can make and break consists very easily, you don't need to keep things as permanent sets.
If you're programming several units to the same address to use them as permanent sets, well that's just defeating the whole point of consisting and the flexibility that it actually provides.
And if your system can't do consisting, then quite honestly it's a piece of junk. A couple posters indicated that the Prodigy Express doesn't do consisting properly? That it doesn't reverse the direction of trailing units? That's a pretty major deficiency in my opinion.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
wow tstage, you could do this for a living
Springfield PA
mobilman,
If you don't ever expect to break your ABBA consist apart and run each AB as a separate F-unit consist, then you ought to just consist the entire thing together as one consist. If you do think you'll run the F-unit AB consists separately, create consists of each AB then consist the two consists. (Boy, that's a mouthful.)
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
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Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
jalajoieTom, while I don't own a MRC system I am an NCE and Digitrax owner/user, I did test a Prodigy Advanced Wireless two years ago at the Detroit NMRA show. With the Advance system making Advance consist is menu driven and similar to what it is done with the NCE throttle. The problem lies with the Prodigy Express where the system does not behave as per the documentation say it is. The Express will not reverse the direction of travel when trying to consist the 2Nd engine back to back to the leading one, even though the manual says it will. MRC issued on their web site a document "Prodigy Advance Tips and Tricks" where they admit this shortcoming.
Tom, while I don't own a MRC system I am an NCE and Digitrax owner/user, I did test a Prodigy Advanced Wireless two years ago at the Detroit NMRA show.
With the Advance system making Advance consist is menu driven and similar to what it is done with the NCE throttle. The problem lies with the Prodigy Express where the system does not behave as per the documentation say it is. The Express will not reverse the direction of travel when trying to consist the 2Nd engine back to back to the leading one, even though the manual says it will.
MRC issued on their web site a document "Prodigy Advance Tips and Tricks" where they admit this shortcoming.
Another good thing about the NCE system is you can old consist 2 advanced consists together. I have done it at the club. 2 steamers in front and 2 steamers pushing on the rear all with sound. All I needed was smoke and it would have been perfect. I have also done an advance consist of 2 RS3 and 2 RSD4 on the front of 60 hoppers with 3 RS1 locos pushing. No derailments or string lining. But no sound.
Pete
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Thanks, Jack.
Jack W.
As maxman and Hamltnblue have already attested to, NCE makes it really easy to create and delete consists. I created my first one last night with my two Trix Mikes:
To kill a consist:
Larry, I'd be curious to see how MRC creates and deletes their consists.
Thank you everyone. I have not yet seen his owner's manual but I think we will be able to do this. Your info head's me in the right direction.
Larry
jalajoie In an advance consist CV19 contains both the consist address and the direction of travel. The first 7 bits of the byte contain the address hence a maximum value of 127 decimal. The eight bit contain the direction of travel hence to reverse the normal direction of travel of an engine the system add 128 to the consist address contained in CV19. CV29 is never touched by any system in the marketplace.
In an advance consist CV19 contains both the consist address and the direction of travel.
The first 7 bits of the byte contain the address hence a maximum value of 127 decimal.
The eight bit contain the direction of travel hence to reverse the normal direction of travel of an engine the system add 128 to the consist address contained in CV19. CV29 is never touched by any system in the marketplace.
I went and looked at the NMRA specs for CV19 and it appears that you are correct.
" I guess one of the reasons I get the 2 mixed up is that my NCE system takes care of it and doesn't force me to change them myself."
Amen to that!!!
I guess one of the reasons I get the 2 mixed up is that my NCE system takes care of it and doesn't force me to change them myself.
maxman CV 19 is the consist address in the decoder. However, the direction that the engine operates is information contained in CV 29. I can't speak for the other DCC systems out there, but the NCE system will change the direction value in CV 29 during the consisting process. The person doing the consisting does not have to enter CV 29 independently to get the engines going in the proper directions.
CV 19 is the consist address in the decoder. However, the direction that the engine operates is information contained in CV 29. I can't speak for the other DCC systems out there, but the NCE system will change the direction value in CV 29 during the consisting process. The person doing the consisting does not have to enter CV 29 independently to get the engines going in the proper directions.
jalajoie Hamltnblue I believe that most DCC systems do consisting by changing CV29 for you. The consist is usually in the engines and not the controllers. For advance consisting, I think you mean changing CV19 not CV29. Universal consisting is controlled by the command station and not within the decoder. CV29 is never modified by any system when consisting.
Hamltnblue I believe that most DCC systems do consisting by changing CV29 for you. The consist is usually in the engines and not the controllers.
I believe that most DCC systems do consisting by changing CV29 for you. The consist is usually in the engines and not the controllers.
For advance consisting, I think you mean changing CV19 not CV29.
Universal consisting is controlled by the command station and not within the decoder.
CV29 is never modified by any system when consisting.
It really is easy! Just add 1 to whatever the lead loco value for CV29 is. Even if they have the same engine number, just program them separately! For example the lead loco gets CV29=34, the second unit gets CV29=35. I have a four unit FT diesel and of course two of the units run in reverse! John
If it is a Prodigy Express, that system will not consist two units back to back, even if it say so in the documentation. An awkward run around is to thinker with the normal direction of travel of the second engine. Normally, adding one to the value of CV29 should do.
If it is a Prodigy Advance it should be the same procedure as with NCE.
Sorry. I should have mentioned he has MRC wireless.
mrgstrainHello My friend is in N scale & DCC. He has two A units he want's to run in a consist with the front engine running nose first & the second engine running tail first. How do we get the second engine to run in reverse with the lead engine runnig forward? Hope I am clear in what we want to accomplish. Thank you. Larry
Hello My friend is in N scale & DCC. He has two A units he want's to run in a consist with the front engine running nose first & the second engine running tail first. How do we get the second engine to run in reverse with the lead engine runnig forward? Hope I am clear in what we want to accomplish.
Thank you.
Its very simple with the NCE powercab. You just put both engines in a consist and select which engine you want to run in reverse or not. Your DCC manual should have all the answers you need.
What system do you have?
Have you programed both locos with different addresses? I don't think you can do it if they both have the same address. Before you MU them make sure they are both moving in the same direction.