CONTROLLING 5 OR MORE TRAINS

[Anonymous]

I AM NOW GETTING BACK INTO RAILROODING AFTER RAISING MY FAMILY AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL 5 OR MORE TRAINS ALONG WITH SWITCHES AND ACCESSORIES
YOU CAN REACH ME AT [e-mail] I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP I CAN GET

THANK YOU

[Anonymous]

Hello Allen,

You asked for the best way to control five or more trains, as well as turnouts and accessories. Look into Digital Command Control (DCC). A DCC system (there are several good ones on the market) provides flexibility and ease of operation. Although the initial cost is relatively high compared to a cab-control system (where you control power to track blocks with switches -- you'd need rotary switches to allow five or more trains to operate independently), and there is a bit of a learning curve, DCC will let you operate dozens of trains independently on the same track.

Here are a couple links to stories on Trains.com that will help you get a better understanding of DCC:

"DCC: what it is and what it does" -- http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/001/371ghltj.asp

"DCC byer's guide" -- http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/001/934azhpm.asp

DCC manufacturers and suppliers -- http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/001/946ycdjs.asp.

Hope this helps,

Paul Schmidt
Contributing editor
Trains.com