I know I'm going to get slammed

[GMTRacing]

Welcome Rangerover2 (and you too Rotor). I also got back into this just under a year ago and have really changed a lot of my plans and thinking because of what I've learned here. And yes some of us still use our Tyco stuff on occasion even though the new stuff is so much better. Enjoy. J.R.

Tyco FL-9's on the point pass a DL-109 by the hatbox.

[robengland]

I've seen a computer port mentioned on a few DCC systems now. Digitrax don't have it and I don't think Lenz do either - you have to buy a separate little box. I think computers in DCC are just fantastic, so I feel you should factor in the cost of an interface device when comparing systems (LocoBuffer RRP $70).

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

Besides making sure your next system is "expandible", look for a system that will allow you to program your decoders using a connector port and your PC. Several DCC systems are now including this in their package. Be sure to double-check though. I think a couple of them give you this as an option but you have to pay extra for it. The Digitrax Zephyr has this option standard on their system.

Tom

just to clarify ... the zephyr (and all other digitrax systems) have the option to add a computer interface , it isn't included . as far as i know , only the CVP EasyDCC system has the computer interface as part of the basic system . a couple of the high end european made systems may also include it but i've never researched them to be sure as they're out of my price range (markin and zimo)

[Anonymous]

I too have returned after ten years away. There is a lot knowldege in here. I don't think I'll ever be as "hard core" as some of these guys, but I'll enjoy my little layout and run my trains until they just can't run no more! Enjoy what these guys have to offer!
Charlie

[Paul W. Beverung]

Rangerover2: Welcome back. I hope that you enjoy the forums as much as I have. If you ask there will be someone who will have the answere. Don't worry about asking a question. I have been in HO for 51 years and still have alot of queations.

Is that range that you are chief range officer of a shooting type?

[Rotorranch]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jdavid93225

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rotorranch

Gee...I just got to thinking....I never got this warm welcome when I joined the forum! [:(]

Rotor

Rotor: [#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]

Feel better?
(Better late than never, I suppose!)

[swg][(-D][(-D][swg][yeah]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rotorranch

Gee...I just got to thinking....I never got this warm welcome when I joined the forum! [:(]

Rotor

Rotor: [#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]

Feel better?
(Better late than never, I suppose!)

[ARTHILL]

Welcome to the "Small World". I did an apprentiship in Johnsonburg in 58. That was the first time I quit HO. I have been in and out 4 times, and back in this March after 25 years. They treated me nice here too and got me going. It been a blast, and I am building better stuff. Show us some pics when you get to that stage.

[Train 284]

Welcome to the froum. It is a cool place. I come about 2 times day. (minimum!)

[roadrat]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rangerover2

Hey NJMike, I was in your town last night had dinner in a restaurant on 206 with my lady friend from Hopatcong. I live in Vernon and am the Chief Range Officer at Cherry Ridge.

Welcome Rangerover2 to the forums[#welcome]
funny you mention Hopatcong , my Ex. lives there with my teenage daughter.
the forum really is a small world.

[oleirish]

[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]This is a good place to see what is going on in model railroading,now a days.[^][:D]
JIM

[railroadyoshi]

Welcome, and hope you enjoy

[davekelly]

I am assuming that you've already bought the Bachmann DCC system. For it's price point, it's a good system, but does have quite a few limitations when compared to the higher end systems that are out there. I wouldn't fret too much though. The Bachmann should be more than sufficient to "get your feet wet again" in the hobby and for testing out your work. The cool thing is that the decoders you'll put in your locomotives will work with any system - Digitrax, Lenz, MRC, CVP etc etc.

I think you'll be surprised at the newer stuff that is now available - Kato, LifeLikeP2K, Athearn Genesis etc. Of course I follow a simple rule about equipment. If you like it, it meets your needs and makes you smile - the it's perfect!

I'll just add to what many have already posted. There are no dumb questions here. Ask and you'll be blown away by how many helpful folks there are here and you'll soon have so many good ideas that you won't know where to start!!

Dave

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rangerover2

Hey NJMike, I was in your town last night had dinner in a restaurant on 206 with my lady friend from Hopatcong. I live in Vernon and am the Chief Range Officer at Cherry Ridge.

Ah yes, there are some pretty good places to eat around here.

[tstage]

Rangerover2,

Welcome to the forum! Good to have you aboard! [:)]

You don't say in your post. What scale will you be modeling in? HO? N?

Gotta agree with jdavid93225 about the Bachmann. If your plans are to eventually build a larger layout, then you should definitely start thinking about a heartier (and expandible) DCC system that will serve your needs well. I also bought the Bachmann for my present 4 x 8' layout (for about 1/2 MSRP) and, in general, I have been very happy with it. I will eventually purchase a more sophisticated DCC system so that I can fiddle around with the configuration variables (CVs). You can't do that with the Bachmann.

For the money, the Digitrax Zephyr would be a good way to go. The Zephyr is considered a starter set but it can easily be expanded as your layout gets bigger. You can also add wireless throttles to it, if you decide to go that route.

Besides making sure your next system is "expandible", look for a system that will allow you to program your decoders using a connector port and your PC. Several DCC systems are now including this in their package. Be sure to double-check though. I think a couple of them give you this as an option but you have to pay extra for it. The Digitrax Zephyr has this option standard on their system.

Tom

[underworld]

Welcome! I haven't had any DCC experience yet. My current addiction is prewar gauge 1 tinplate........a horribly expensive and nasty habit.......but it's really cool!!!!!
I plan on getting a few DCC for HO.....as soon as I can get some more cash.[:p]

underworld

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[dgwinup]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rotorranch

Gee...I just got to thinking....I never got this warm welcome when I joined the forum! [:(]

Rotor

I don't recall receiving a warm welcome to this forum, either, Rotor. But when I started posting, I got nice responses regularly, even when I was misinformed (or plain wrong!) about something. I have been made to feel welcome here so I have never missed the warm welcome when I started. I like to think the warm welcome is continuing!

Rangerover2, I hope you feel welcome here and I hope you will offer your comments whenever you feel so motivated. Even newbies can have great ideas and insightful suggestions.

Thanks, everyone, for making this hobby fun again! [:X][:X][:X]

Darrell, warmly quiet...for now

[selector]

As if you needed another welcome, Rangerover2,......what took you so long!![:o)]

[BRVRR]

[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]
I too returned to the hobby after a long (20-year) layoff. I have learned a lot from the people on this and the Atlas forum., you will too.
Again, welcome.

[Rotorranch]

Gee...I just got to thinking....I never got this warm welcome when I joined the forum! [:(]

Rotor

[robengland]

Hi Rangerover

I too returned to the hobby a couple of years ago after 30 years off. My advice:
1) Read read read read read. I've read just about every Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman for the last 30 years, half the Web and about 30 books. It means I've read nothing else for the last two years, but I'm not complaining about that [:D]
2) build something planning to throw it away. I did. 18 months in the building and I'm about to take a pinch-bar to it. great learning experience
3) do you have a locale and theme and era in mind? If not, then just keep dabbling until you do. Once you have them you will take off like a rocket, with focus.
4) socialise. Visit layouts and clubs. try a few clubs on for size until one fits. Talk to folk. I learned a lot but more than that i absorbed perspective and attitude. Much of that was about patience and meticulousness.

cheers
Rob

[Rotorranch]

Welcome to the forum Rangerover! And believe me, there are no slams here! This is probably one of the most civil forums I have been a part of. ( With a rare exception...myself probably being the exception! [;)] )

These guys, and gals, are a wealth of info at your fingertips. Just ask...there are no stupid questions.

Hope you enjoy your trains as much as I have since my return to my trains!

Rotor

[JohnT14808]

2841, Spacemouse....but who's counting....

Welcome Rangerover2!! I know you will enjoy your renewed interest in the hobby, just as I did two years ago. Some many NEW things to learn and PLAY with!! DCC is great, materials to create scenic wonders are so diverse it boggles the mind, rolling stock with details unmatched, unless you can afford brass, and fellow modelers on forums such as this one to help out when you get stuck. Have fun, and keep us posted on how you are enjoying the hobby.

[#welcome]

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jdavid93225

Rangerover2: Welcome!
I think you'll find that your Bachmann EZ Command system will work well while you are learning about DCC, but you will outgrow it soon enough. For the price, I would say it's a relatively inexpensive lesson in the ins and outs of DCC.
Like you, I returned to the hobby after a long hiatus. I pulled my stuff out of the shed about a year ago, and have since purchased an MRC Prodigy Advance DCC system, three sound equipped Challengers, A BLI Sound Equipped NW2 Switcher, Two Rivarossi 4-8-4 Locomotives into which I am installing DCC decoders with sound, about 5 Proto 2K locomotives that I am converting to DCC, A Bachmann Shay into which I am installing a sound decoder, and several other decoders for my other equipment. Your foray into DCC should be much less expensive than mine, to say the least. The main rule to remember is to have fun, which doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg (though I've spent that lately and am having fun)!
There was another fellow who joined this forum around the same time I did late last year, and he was new to the hobby. Now he has nearly 3000 posts on this forum and is giving advice to others and keeping things here very interesting. He goes by the name of Spacemouse and is a great guy to get to know. His experiences on this forum have been educational to nearly everyone here, at least that's how it looks from my point of view. You will have a great time getting to know the folks here and relearning about the hobby!

Again, [#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]

Kinda like the blind leading the blind.

Welcome Rangerover2,

If I learned anything it was from these guys. I had a lot of personal nursemaids. Just don't be afraid to ask questions.

Do I really have almost 3000 posts?

[Anonymous]

Rangerover2: Welcome!
I think you'll find that your Bachmann EZ Command system will work well while you are learning about DCC, but you will outgrow it soon enough. For the price, I would say it's a relatively inexpensive lesson in the ins and outs of DCC.
Like you, I returned to the hobby after a long hiatus. I pulled my stuff out of the shed about a year ago, and have since purchased an MRC Prodigy Advance DCC system, three sound equipped Challengers, A BLI Sound Equipped NW2 Switcher, Two Rivarossi 4-8-4 Locomotives into which I am installing DCC decoders with sound, about 5 Proto 2K locomotives that I am converting to DCC, A Bachmann Shay into which I am installing a sound decoder, and several other decoders for my other equipment. Your foray into DCC should be much less expensive than mine, to say the least. The main rule to remember is to have fun, which doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg (though I've spent that lately and am having fun)!
There was another fellow who joined this forum around the same time I did late last year, and he was new to the hobby. Now he has nearly 3000 posts on this forum and is giving advice to others and keeping things here very interesting. He goes by the name of Spacemouse and is a great guy to get to know. His experiences on this forum have been educational to nearly everyone here, at least that's how it looks from my point of view. You will have a great time getting to know the folks here and relearning about the hobby!

Again, [#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]

[Anonymous]

Welcome back to the dance, your gonna find A LOT has changed since you left!

[MisterBeasley]

Enjoy the ride! I pulled my 40-year-old trains out of the attic last winter. Since then, I've been enjoying them even more than I did when I was a kid. The hobby has such a variety of options and aspects that you can never get bored, although sooner or later you will run out of time, money or space.

This forum is one of the best of any kind on the Web. There's no flaming, hardly any swearing but lots of good solid info. There is also a smattering of philosophy and a lot of humor, some of which is actually funny. If you check in early in the morning, East Coast time, you'll catch the final posts from the "night train" types, plus the Kiwis, Aussies, Europeans and Brits. (Please let me know if these terms offend anyone. After all, as a Red Sox fan, I don't much like being called a "Yank.") Later in the day, the forum becomes more active, and any question will have a number of answers within minutes.

My only general advice is "Don't rush it." The pace of craftsmanship is slow.

[fiatfan]

[#welcome] to the forum. You will find an amazing array of knowledge and skills in this group. You will also not get slammed except in a good way. We are a very well behaved (well, mostly anyway [:D]) group. People here are very helpful and willing to share the knowledge they have.

You may want to look through the various topics listed in this thread. It contains a great deal of information for new and experienced people.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36405

Again, [#welcome]

Tom

[grandeman]

Welcome back. You'll find model railroading's advances to be nothing short of incredible since you were last involved in the hobby. Enjoy the journey.