Train for the family

[Brutus]

I've got some young children and I remembered how much I liked my old Bachman train set when I was a kid, though I never could afford to buy new track or cars or anything.

Anyway, my father-in-law got me interested in model trains again and I found the Hogwart's Express train - my kids are big fans of the Harry Potter movies. Come Christmas, we are gonna set it up on the floor and have fun making little houses and stuff.

In doing some research to see what was out there, I got really interested in N scale trains. I especially like old steam trains. Another new thing that I have learned about is DCC.

Here's my question - why don't they make all the trains DCC? I notice most locomotives that are DCC are diesels. Can these steamers be converted to DCC or is there not enough room inside the model for the controller card or what?

I was interested in the Bachman EZ controller, but they only offer the sets with diesels - will they start releasing them with steamers?

[bpickering]

Likely reason that not everything has DCC:

Money.

(Warning: WAGs follow, but they're probably at least in the ballpark.)

While adding a base-level decoder ($20 or thereabouts retail) to trains wouldn't change the price much for the dedicated modeller (who often spends $50, $75, $150, and on up), it makes a BIG difference in the inexpensive engines included in most train sets- that alone would take a $75 train set and bring it up to $90 or so after packaging.

THEN... you need to add on the controller, which is significantly more expensive than the cheapy power supply included with most train sets. Now, you're looking at turning a $75 train set into a $150+ train set.

It's not mass market at that price.

It's the same thing as department-store telescopes, and many other hobbies where there is entry-level stuff available. Ask ANY amateur astronomer who's been around the block for a little while, and they'll tell you that you can't get a really decent telescope for the $100 you see in the department stores. Try $250 and on up... WAY up.

WRT steamers and DCC, in some respects it's even EASIER to convert steamers... you've got room in the tender to put the decoder, while some diesels don't have room to sneeze under the hood without removing weights.

Don't know about sets with steamers- anyone else?

Brian

[Brutus]

Thanks for the info - I saw that the bachman kits with a dcc controller and a locomotive are gonna be $150 each, and that's without a "set" of cars and track. I guess you're right - that would be a big chunk of change for somebody who just wants to see if they like model trains. Maybe as DCC becomes more common, the price will come down more and more?

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jim Fortner

Thanks for the info - I saw that the bachman kits with a dcc controller and a locomotive are gonna be $150 each, and that's without a "set" of cars and track. I guess you're right - that would be a big chunk of change for somebody who just wants to see if they like model trains. Maybe as DCC becomes more common, the price will come down more and more?

It has come down out of the clouds in the last few years. It used to be one couldn't even get started for less than $600. Each additiona locomotive added $50 for the control for it. I think it might be hitting the leveling off point where the vendors can still make any money. I just got a batch of decoders for the locomotives for under $10 each. Big difference from the old days.

Oh yes, I could swear I saw an N-scale Bachman Steam locomotive with DCC and sound demonstrated at the Great American Train show last month. Didn't pay too much attention at the time, seemed old hat.

[Jetrock]

DCC is also a relatively new standard, and there is a huge decades-old installed base of folks who run DC. It will take a long time to saturate and even then DC will probably still be around, if only to allow "backwards compatibility" with older equipment.

Diesels with DCC, perhaps, are more common because diesels tend to be more popular these days--most model railroaders of middle-age or younger have probably never seen a working steam locomotive in person. There are new steamers with DCC, though.

[Anonymous]

I guess my reason for still running DC is money and the fact that Im just plain familiar with it.

Someday I plan to make the switch, but not yet!