dcc with dc questions (first post)

[Bryce717]

Hello everyone. this is my first post on this site. My Dad and I are building a new layout now that he has moved to a new house and our old layout had to be dismanted. DCC sounds wonderful and we just have a few questions. Mainly we have many locos that are about 20-25 years old. I understand these can be wired for dcc with decoders but with so many locos it seems best to be able to run both dcc and dc locos. So: How easy is this to do. Must we wire the layout in the old block system if using say a Digitrax Zephyr (not yet purchased)? And I seem to remember reading that our old dc throttles could work along with a dcc one? Also, a website Q: I've read that there are some basic dcc threads like "jfugate's" but I can not seem to find it? Thanks Much!

[cacole]

Your question(s) would require a lot of complicated explaining to answer thoroughly, but in order to run older DC engines you need to wire your layout for conventional DC block control.

Adding DCC later can be as simple as connecting the DCC system's power output to the terminals that your DC power pack connects to.

In order to be able to quickly and easily switch back and forth between DCC and DC control, your wiring would get a little more complicated. I wired the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club's 20x40 foot HO-scale layout for both. A two-position rotary switch on the control panel(s) can be set to select between DC or DCC, according to the type of locomotive an operator wishes to run. This could also have been accomplished with a simple DPDT toggle switch, but using the 6 pole rotary switch allows LEDs to be added as indicators.

[chateauricher]

Here is Joe's (jfugate) thread on DCC...
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=36389
just click on the link.