I usually post on the CTT forum but have a question I need answered here.
My father and I along with a family friend are about to build a 30x40 room for an HO layout. The building has a 12x 40 ft foom that will house my 3 rail O guage stuff. I was put in charge of designing the layout (HO) and have come up with the track plan. The HO collection belongs to my father and includes over 300 locomotives, 200 passenger cars and 900 frieght cars. His current layout has over 2000 ft of track. Right now he uses a block dection system and really likes it so I had to include it on the new layout. I designed a walk around type layout and (like my current O) and want to get rid of control panels like my father has been using. I want to go with walk around, either tetered or wireless for DC only....no DCC at this time.
Does anybody have any ideas about what brands are good and what cost I would be looking at. I am not looking to spend a fortune but figure I need at least four handheld controls.
Thank you
Andy
The Cooler Crawler High-Performance Throttle from TracTronics Incorporated is a very good, reliable DC control system. It is a tethered system that we have been using on a large HO scale club layout for several years. The controllers are walk-around, meaning that you can unplug a throttle to move from one location to another and your train will continue running.
Our layout is also set up to change over to DCC control at the flip of a switch, and DCC is used more than DC today, but we can still run DC locomotives.
TracTronics Incorporated1212 South Naper Boulevard, Suite 119Naperville, Illinois 60540
used to be their mailing address.
I know of no one who makes a wireless DC control system, but since we use DCC more today I haven't been keeping up with the DC side of the technology.
Their web site is http://www.tractronics.com
Wireless DC is offered by Aristo, as well as others. The Train Engineer system is quite nice and provides excellent loco control (after you remove the silly capacitors on Bachmann locos). At least one regualr here uses it on his large DC layout, and if you absolutely positively are goign to stick with DC and are building a layout to operate and not just be a display with moving objects, I'd say it's probably your best bet.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
any ifo on a site for them or prices? i would like to investigate!
asch any ifo on a site for them or prices? i would like to investigate!
Aristo Craft makes two or three different wireless DC throttles. I use their 10 channel 27 Mhz Train Engineer with great results. Several others I know use them as well.
You can find more info at www.aristocraft.com and the 10 channel version is generally available for about $200 for a transmitter/reciever combo.
They require a seperate power supply. Old power packs will do, but a filtered/regulated supply is better. I use 13.8 volt power supplies sold for powering CB radios in your home. Thse can be had on the web for about $20 each and work well.
The 10 channel Train Engineer uses a pulse widith modulated output and provides excelent speed control. As good as any DCC decoder.
To read a whole bunch more, go the the Aristo web site or the Bachmann web site, log onto the forum, and search for "Radio Control for HO" or my name "Sheldon" or my username "ATLANTIC CENTRAL" and you fine extensive information I have posted about the use of the TE in HO scale.
Similar searches here will provide some info, but the most info is on the Bachmann forum.
Feel free to send me a private message if you need more info or help.
Sheldon
asch I usually post on the CTT forum but have a question I need answered here. My father and I along with a family friend are about to build a 30x40 room for an HO layout. The building has a 12x 40 ft foom that will house my 3 rail O guage stuff. I was put in charge of designing the layout (HO) and have come up with the track plan. The HO collection belongs to my father and includes over 300 locomotives, 200 passenger cars and 900 frieght cars. His current layout has over 2000 ft of track. Right now he uses a block dection system and really likes it so I had to include it on the new layout. I designed a walk around type layout and (like my current O) and want to get rid of control panels like my father has been using. I want to go with walk around, either tetered or wireless for DC only....no DCC at this time. Does anybody have any ideas about what brands are good and what cost I would be looking at. I am not looking to spend a fortune but figure I need at least four handheld controls. Thank you Andy
Andy, after rereading your orginal post, I want to let you know the Aristo Train Engineer does like all types of detection systems. If you know anything about what type of system your father has, let me know and I can tell if it will work.
The Train Engineer uses a transistorized full voltage square wave pulse throttle and as such is not friendly to detection circuits that use a bias voltage. It is also not friendly to common rail/common return wiring typical of older DC wiring schemes.
If your fathers system is Twin T, it may work, but wiring and detection power supply changes may be needed.
If it is a solid state opti-coupler using diodes it will not work.
If it is inductive current sensing it will work fine.
If it optical or infrared and isolated fro the track power it will work fine.
Again, feel free to ask questions, on here or by private message.