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I know one of the advertised advantages of DCC is the simplicity. However, I seem to see a lot of postings like, "my new such & such engine & decoder won't run with my such & such DCC system". With responses like, "call customer service, they'll tell you to add a resistor" or "they took care of that problem in the latest upgrade...", or, "you should really get the system with more features if you want to do that...", or "they're no good, xxx brand is better anyway..." This does not sound easier to me, but some DCC features sound downright fun. I'm trying to figure out if DCC should be in my future or not. I'm just getting back into MRR after a 15 year hiatus. This will be my first time MRR'ing as an adult. As a kid, it seemed expensive. As an adult, I'm determined it won't be expensive, because I'll keep my RR small and use my brain/skills instead of my wallet to make my RR. I also liked Ben King's philosophy of, "I will only work on my model railroad when I feel like it". As a matter of fact, a layout similar to his in size is my goal. My ultimate model railroad plans include a shelf layout, with a removable loop of unscenicked track to go around the room and return to the other end f the shelf for continuous running, or possibly two removable return loops. Basically, in familar terms, I'd like a couple modules or "dominoes", with an unscenicked loop connecting both ends (or maybe two return loops). I'd like to have one train run on the "mainline" which connects to the loop, and have another do some switching at the same time. I don't want the trains to end up landing on the same block, causing the main & the switcher to be controlled by the same power pack (here's where DCC would be nice, right?). Being a mechanical engineer (and knowing a bit about electronics, but not enough to build fancy circuits, etc.), I figure I could wire this up with DC, even with some "protection" to keep the mainline train from hitting my switching train somehow, without having to flip block switches whenever the switcher needs to be on the main for a few seconds. (I may not be able to avoid flipping a block switch occasionally). I want to do all of my model railroading "on the cheap". No fancy brass engines here, although I may scratchbuild one some day. All handlaid track ($20/turnout makes me cringe, no matter how good or bad my personal finances may be at any given time). I am not the first on the block to buy the newest electronic gadget. I waited until DVD players were less than $150 to buy one (saw one for $42 at target a few days ago - makes me wonder how those who bought them at $500 a few years ago feel). I'm just in the information gathering stage for DCC for my future layout plans. Has anyone found DCC useful for a small shelf layout? I'm leaning towards good old-fashioned DC. There's something nice about fully understanding everything that's going on in the control system - no mysterious "black box" in there with chip that could die at any second, only to take me time to troubleshoot the problem. Thoughts?
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