Crest Train Engineer

[jwar]

I too am looking very closley at Crest. What looks great is that it doesent have the problems that DCC has, dirty track and loss of signal, or other short circuit problems with frogs and wheelsets. Also looking at a 10 amp filtered dc trasformer, approx 57 bucks. Over all it sounds great to me but wondering why its not used more....by hobbyist. MR needs to do an article on it...I'm presently using three transformers on 120 feet of track and do not want to invest in a lot of boosters and other add ons as on a tight budget. I too would love to hear about the pros and cons.

[dragenrider]

May I also add that the joy of walking along beside your freight train and controlling it's actions without being tied to a control panel is something straight from heaven! [angel][:D]

Just picture switching at eye level with hand thrown turnouts and a slow speed engine!

[dragenrider]

I use Aristo Craft radio control on my HO layout. This is the exact same system Crest now markets, possibly bought from Aristo Craft. I have had the system for almost five years and I'm thrilled with it! [:D] It's one big reason I'm not switching to DCC. The emergency switch at the bottom is a life saver, too! Not to mention the very fine speed control changes you can't do with other systems. (I just tried this month-Infrared sucks!)

I placed a radio receiver between each of my two power packs. The hand held control unit can be switched back and forth between the two. Using block wiring, I can run two trains simultaneously, switching quickly back and forth for speed adjustments as needed. All the plugs are in a power strip so I can shut everything off with one switch after play time.

I'd highly recommend this system to anyone! Feel free to email with specific questions: [e-mail]

[cacole]

I just looked at the Crest Train Engineer CRE-55000 manual on their Web site. Some things I would consider before purchasing it:

It is very similar to DCC -- you have to put a receiver in each locomotive that you want to control. The biggest difference seems to be that the Crest is a proprietary system that is not NMRA DCC compliant so only Crest receivers will work with it.

Over the long haul, it may cost more for Crest receivers than NMRA-compliant decoders, which are available from several manufacturers and dropping in price to around $15 each, depending on brand and number of functions that can be controlled.

You also run the risk of this system not selling well enough to continue in business, leaving you with an orphaned system that you can't get receivers or parts for, like the people who use CTC, the forerunner of DCC.

Crest was developed by Polk's Hobby Shop for G-scale is is being downsized to fit O and HO.

I looked at the Crest system for my G-scale equipment, but settled on the AirWire 900 from CVP Products, which is NMRA compliant, so decoders will be easy to acquire.

[Anonymous]

I am modelling HO. the Crest CRE-55000 is called the HO Train Engineer. It is relatively new and built specifically for HO. I have not used DCC, and know very little about it, so I don't know how the two would compare. I will not be running my trains on someone else's track, and others won't be using mine, so compatibility with other layouts is not a concern. Ease of operation and simplicity of installation would be the key. Because the operation is built using R/F, I would think no special wiring or layout changes are required, but as with most things, I want to research it to death to be sure I make the right choice for me. If anyone is interested, the site is
http://www.aristocraft.com/catalog/crest/trainengineer/whitepaper/

[cacole]

It's my understanding that the Crest is for outdoor G-scale trains. One system does nothing but control the voltage fed to the track by the power pack, and another requires on-board receivers in the locomotives. What scale are you modeling in? I think the Crest system would be too big for indoor HO or smaller.

[Anonymous]

Any input or experience with the Crest Train Engineer or other types of radio control? How does it compare to DCC? Please be nice, I am new!!![:D]
Tim