wiliam tanks Stein, what I really want is: I am new on this and I am about to aquire my new system, but by example I like the track from batchman that has the decoder integrated from factory, I like the locos and cars from europe manufacturers , and I would like to buy a USA controller like Digitrax, and wanted to know if this make sense or I shuoul get everything from one manufacurer?
tanks Stein, what I really want is:
I am new on this and I am about to aquire my new system, but by example I like the track from batchman that has the decoder integrated from factory, I like the locos and cars from europe manufacturers , and I would like to buy a USA controller like Digitrax, and wanted to know if this make sense or I shuoul get everything from one manufacurer?
No, in principle this ought to be an okay combination.
Bachmann (not "batchman") ezTrack can be used for any two-rail type of locomotives or cars - so as long as you don't buy Märklin cars and locomotives, you will be able to run e.g. two-rail Brawa or Roco trains on Bachmann ezTrack. Small disclaimer for rail height vs wheel depth, since I have not tried this combination myself. Modern American cars come with RP25 wheels which will work with rails with lower rail heights - like code 70 and code 83 rails. I am not sure how deep the wheels are on those Roco and Brawa locos and cars, but if the ezTrack is code 100, even "pizza cutter" (i.e. deep flange) wheels ought to be okay.
Digitrax DCC controllers can be bought in Europe as well - if you live in continental Europe just make sure to get it with a European wall socket plug (or use a plug converter) - the Digitrax PS314 50W AC/DC power adapter I have for my Digitrax DCS51 controller can accept 100-240 V AC, 47-64 Hz input, and came with a standard plug (two round prongs) for the type of sockets we have here.
European cars and locos will be fine, as long as you stay away from Märklin brand for locos. If you should happen to get a car with non-isolated wheels, you can just pop the wheelsets off and replace them with isolated wheelsets.
The use of NEM couplers should not be a problem if you don't plan to mix and match your European locos and cars with American locos and cars. DCC is DCC - you can mix and match DCC controllers from one brand with decoders from another brand - e.g. use a Digitrax DCC controller and ESU DCC controllers in locos.
Btw - some people love ezTrack, others hate it - ezTrack is easy to lay for a beginner, but as with all sectional track, it limits what track configurations you can do to what pieces you have available or can get - you can just curve the rail to fit and cut it to length, as you can with flextrack.
For an classic train set oval on a table it will do just fine, but be prepared to get frustrated by the limitations of sectional track if you want to lay out a yard with several parallel tracks at scale 13-14 foot distances mid-track to mid-track and stuff like that.
Smile,Stein
modelmaker51 I don't know hoe the difference between the US 60Hz and Europe's 50Hz will affect the command station and control of the decoders. You would have to send Digitrax or NCE (my choice) an email and ask them. Assuming the last part has no effect, then you could run both European and US locos on the same system as long as they are all NMRA compliant. All NMRA/DCC decoders are interchangable, US, European, Chinese, etc...
I don't know hoe the difference between the US 60Hz and Europe's 50Hz will affect the command station and control of the decoders. You would have to send Digitrax or NCE (my choice) an email and ask them. Assuming the last part has no effect, then you could run both European and US locos on the same system as long as they are all NMRA compliant. All NMRA/DCC decoders are interchangable, US, European, Chinese, etc...
It has no effect whatsoever. The track voltages are the same. The input voltage to the power supply for the DCC system and its AC frequency have no effect on what goes on at track level on a DCC system. You can put American decoders in European trains and visa-versa and run them all together. I have TCS 21 pin decoders in European models and ESU German made decoders in American models.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
I believe the Maerklin DCC system was co-developed with Motorola and it's the Motorola system that is not compatible with NMRA systems, just as here in the states MTH's DSC is not compatible with NMRA. Roco, Brawa, Fleishman, Bachman, Hornby products are all NMRA compliant. As the above poster mentioned Kadee does have a NEM coupler to convert European NEM standard cars/wagons. To use Maerklin cars/wagons you must change the wheels to insulated type. beware, you must match the axle length, Northwest Shortline (NWSL) has them . If you want to run American eguipment in Europe, in most cases you will need a step-down transformer to change from 220 to 110v. I don't know hoe the difference between the US 60Hz and Europe's 50Hz will affect the command station and control of the decoders. You would have to send Digitrax or NCE (my choice) an email and ask them. Assuming the last part has no effect, then you could run both European and US locos on the same system as long as they are all NMRA compliant. All NMRA/DCC decoders are interchangable, US, European, Chinese, etc...
If you are going to be using older non NEM cars, you have to go with code100 track no matter what brand you choose or change the wheels to NEM or RP-25 (US) standards to use code 83 track. Most American cars and locos now come with RP-25 wheels now.
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
Digitrax sells starter systems that are designed for Europe, including Euro licensed versions of the radio systems http://www.digitrax.com/products/starter-sets/scfxdce/ Check with the model that you are interested in, but you will find that nearly all current production European models have DCC sockets in them. Many are available with DCC and sound installed already. It is quite common for these locomotives to have 21 pin DCC sockets, rather than the 8 pin more common here in the US. I have no experience with the Bachmann DCC turnouts, but I am under the impression that they have a built in decoder and therefore should be controllable by any DCC system.
As I recall the old version of the forum included the poster's location, which would be helpful here. If you're in the US, then you can certainly use a Digitrax DCC system and Bachmann track. As far as engines, you would just have to be sure to steer clear of Marklin engines that use AC (and inside third rail contact studs). Not sure what European equipment comes DCC-equipped, but you should be able to convert the engines to DCC pretty easily. European equipment is available in the Walthers catalogue.
If you're in Europe, I'm not sure if Digitrax offers their DCC systems in a version compatable with European power sources. There are a couple of companies in Europe that make DCC systems however.
BTW if you're thinking of using Bachmann's EZ Track (or whatever they call their track with roadbed) I would maybe look at Kato Unitrack. It has more realistic rail (code 83 vs. code 100) and is very reliable.
p.s. Kadee makes a coupler that's designed to go into the NEM type coupler pocket. I have a Trix NYC wood caboose (made in Germany...or is it Austria??) that came with the NEM couplers. Converting to the Kadees was as easy as pulling out the NEM's and snapping the Kadees in place.
As a general rule of the thumb, European brand cars and locomotives are not compatible with American cars and locomotives right out of the box. European brands include e.g. Märklin, Roco, Brawa (and Hornby - but I have no experience with British brands).
In the US, the Kadee style knuckle coupler is the default coupler. You can also find a few really old cars with horn hook couplers, and some people may have added Sergent couplers (but they are rare yet). European locos and rolling stock will come mostly with NEM couplers.Which are not compatible with Kadees. Replacing couplers are possible, but may be a bit of work to make work well.
Track power wise, in Europe there are what is called two-rail and three-rail (or more accurately two-rail-plus-center-studs) track systems. Three rail is mainly Märklin brand. Three rail locos are built to pick up one side of the power from both rails and the other side of the power from an under loco metal "pickup shoe" that rubs against center metal studs in the center of the track. Railroad cars made for Märklin brand track systems will not necessarily have insulation between the two wheels, so they can short out tracks made for two-rail systems.
I believe command control DCC decoders are compatible, but the DCC controllers (and other electrical stuff that plug into wall sockets) expect different input voltages from house outlets - European appliances expect 220 Volts, American ones 110 Volts. So it would be smart if our new friend told us what he was trying to accomplish - does he want to model German trains using locos and cars bought in Europe, or an American layout using American locos and cars, or something else?
Smile, Stein
It is possible that the european brands are not NMRA compliant as european prototypes use a different coupler system. whan I visited Charlamanes kindom in Helen GA, which models Germany in HO the cars use a completely different ring system. Still I suppose they could be converted Perhaps someone could chime in on this.
Joe Staten Island West
There is only one breed of HO which won't `play nice' with everything else - Maerklin (SP?) AC HO. It's a proprietary (dare I say toy train) system that is actually miniaturized 3-rail AC, like Lionel, only smaller. The locos are designed for AC and center-of-track pickup - they WILL short NMRA compliant 2-rail HO. (Won't hurt the Maerklin equipment, WILL trip the breaker on a DCC or DC system.) The rolling stock is, for the most part, German prototype.
All else should work together. All preassembled HO track, flex and sectional, is 16.5mm between railheads, and all North American prototype HO rolling stock can run on it. These days pretty much everything comes with some form of `Kadee clone' knuckle coupler, and they will all couple together. (More serious modelers prefer either real, Brand named, Kadee couplers or some other aftermarket types that have a better scale appearance.)
Some cars, either used or of toy train origin, may come with so-called `horn-hook' couplers. For compatability they should be replaced with Kadee or equivalent knuckles. Conversion is usually quite simple.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thank Erik I have herad that the european brands like Roco Brawa etc are not NMRA compilant, do you kow somthing about that?
regards
Hi William-
You can absolutely use different mfg's cars together. The NMRA has a set of Recommended Practices [RP] to create standards for each scale. When purchasing, it is best to buy NMRA compliant. The standards cover locomotives, cars, track and DCC equipment.
Erik
Erik Fiske
I couldn't fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder
PLEASE HELP WITH THESE QUESTIONS
In HO scale the cars couplers from the differnt brands are the same , I mean can I use cars of differnt brands?
What about the compatibility of the track (turn outs) with digital decoders and controlers of diferent brands?What shuold be aware of when buying them?
thanks