DCC

[trainmasterg]

Hi Harry

Our Club has been using DCC for more than 10 years.  If you're new to the hobby, I'm sure it can be almost overwhelming.

One of the challenging things at times in our hobby can be the electronics.  We're all still learning.
DCC makes the layout wiring very easy for small to moderate sized layouts.

Short story:
One of our club members has a home layout that has as much track as I've ever seen on a 5x9 layout and was recently stumped by a wiring error.  Fortunately, he is using DCC, and if you saw this layout, you'd understand that it would be a wiring nightmare if he was using block wiring.  He didn't run any trains for a few weeks until I finally had the chance to go over and troubleshoot with him.  If wasn't but a few minutes until I found the error.  He had wired one of the track feeder pairs backwards - an easy short circuit.  He had been inconsistent in his labeling and that caused the error.  I was happy to help him out, and we've all had those simple things stump us from time to time.
With all the track that he has, it could have been a lot harder to find the problem in a block wired layout with bad labeling techniques - it could have taken hours!

Wiring decoders can be quite challenging.  If you are truly new, you have the advantage of not having a collection of older locomotives that need to be converted. 

So where are you in the hobby?  How new are you?  What are you specifically finding trouble with in getting up and running?

Hope we can help you, and welcome to the hobby.

Greg across the river in Buffalo NY
www.wnytm.buffalotrains.com

[mobilman44]

Hi!

Welcome to the Forum!

Your question has been repeated many times in many forms, and most of us have been in your situation at one time.

I was into DC since the early '60s and changed to DCC in 2008, after much study and consideration and a whole lot of specific questions to the good folks on this Forum.  I am glad I switched, but it can be expensive, and can be as complicated as you want it to be.

I urge you to pick up a couple of the Kalmbach books on the subject, as they will give you all the basics and allow you to make up your own mind, and/or give you the knowledge base to ask specific questions that relate to your situation.

ENJOY,

Mobilman44 

[MisterBeasley]

I personally think DCC is the way to go, but many of us are just as happy with DC.

DCC requires a DCC system and then a "decoder" in every locomotive.  So, if you have a fleet of DC engines and you want to go to DCC, you've got some work to do.  On the other hand, if you are just starting out, you can buy most engines with decoders already installed.

Sound is becoming a big deal in HO scale.  Sound is primarily a DCC thing, although there are workarounds and add-ons that allow DC users to access some of the sound features of locomotives.  Once again, sound is something I like, but others don't care for it.  I would suggest, though, that you go to a train shop, train show or club and listen to engines to get an idea of whether it's something you want.  If you're in the market for locomotives, it's cheaper to buy one with sound already installed than it is to buy a "quiet" engine and add sound later.

I'm expanding right now, but I started with a 5x12 foot table layout in HO.  I found that DCC has immediate benefits for small layouts.  With DC, running multiple locomotives requires "blocking" of the tracks, and you must always be aware of where the blocks begin and end.  Blocking can be a problem on small layouts, because the minimum block size to run trains effectively means that you can't have very many of them.  DCC eliminates all of those issues.  As somebody said, "With DC you run the track.  With DCC you run the trains."

[selector]

 DCC is more complicated in that you must learn how to run it.  Powering it might take just two wires, maybe quite a few more in a more complex track system or a fairly large one.

What makes DCC complicated is learning what it can do for you via the decoders.  Decoders vary somewhat, but so do the various manufacturer's DCC systems.  So, just like getting a new digital camera, you can probably get by with some initial guesses, but after that you must get into the manual.  The good news is that, like learning a language or a new camera, in no time at all you are fully conversant with it and it becomes second nature....like all forms of learning.

You may have seen the statement that, "With DCC you run the trains, and with DC you run the layout and power management system..so that the trains do what you want them to do."  DC requires you to continuously route power to keep the path ahead of an engine clear for its progress.  With DCC, you just tell the engine to do something and watch it do it...with some assistance ensuring that the route is lined through any turnouts.  In that respect, it is like DC.

To directly answer your question as you posed it, no, it isn't difficult to get it up and running.  Once you understand that each decoder responds to an address, if you can hook up two wires to a smallish layout, acquire the address, and assign a command to that address, the rest is just watching the locomotive do as you direct it to do.

As for DCC being the 'best way to go", I'm afraid you must learn what DCC is all about, and then convince yourself, perhaps with some hands-on time at a local club using DCC, that it meets your needs and expectations.  There are some long-time modelers here who wouldn't dream of switching from their trusty DC operations.  They must have some good experiences using it to want to stay with it.  It would be your goal to learn why, and then compare what you learn with what you learn from the users of DCC.  Only then will you be able to answer your question yourself...which I'm afraid is the best way to get the answer.

-Crandell

[corsair7]

tdk6060

Hello all im new to this i like to know if DCC is the best way to go.

and is it hard to get up and running.

thank you

Harry

DCC is simpler than DC because wiring for DC can get very complicated if you want to run several locomotives at the same time. DCC simplifies the wiring since with DCC you control the locomotive rater than the track as you do under DC.

Irv

[tdk6060]

Hello all im new to this i like to know if DCC is the best way to go.

and is it hard to get up and running.

thank you

Harry