This is just more informational for me.
When buying your locomotives does everyone who has DCC buy them with the decoders already pre-installed? My reason for asking is when I get ready to move to DCC I was thinking of using RailPro as my DCC system and I haven't found anybody that sells locos with a railpro decoder in it.
For me Atlas is releasing some Providence & Worcester Engines next month and debating on buying the DC and adding a decoder vs DCC with the decoder already installed, especially if I decide to use RailPro as my DCC system.
Thanks for any input.
RailPro is not a DCC system.
DCC is the dominant digital control system in HO gauge, so it's the one manufacturers install in new locomotives. It is generally cheaper to buy a new locomotive with a decoder than to buy a DC locomotive plus a decoder, and you don't have to worry about doing an installation.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have one steam locomotive equipped with a Rail Pro receiver, and a Rail Pro controller; but as MisterBeasley wrote, Rail Pro by Ring Engineering is NOT the same as DCC -- a Rail Pro receiver works only with a Rail Pro controller.
As you noted, no one sells locomotives with a Rail Pro receiver already installed, but several manufacturers sell locomotives with DCC decoders, and even DCC sound decoders, pre-installed.
The Rail Pro web site shows a Union Pacific diesel locomotive that supposedly has a Rail Pro system installed. When I sent them an email to inquire about which brand of locomotive was shown in their advertisement, they referred me to Yankee Dabbler as being the people who provided the photograph. Yankee Dabbler never answered my emails.
Because the Rail Pro receiver is both a direct radio receiver and a DCC decoder on the same printed circuit board, it is larger than any brand of DCC decoder.
Rail Pro offers a DC power supply, but I draw power from the club's DCC track. This allows me to run my Rail Pro equipped locomotive on the club's DCC layout and have totally independent control over it, since the Rail Pro controller is direct radio instead of sending a signal through the track like a DCC system does.
Yankee Dabbler is a dealer. If the loco is sold with a Ring receiver already installed, it's because they installed it. No manufacturer is making locos with Ring receivers already installed.
As for getting locos with decoders already installed - most of the locos that fit my era and rooad are older releases, before DCC or sound was commonly factory installed, so most oof the time I install my own decoders. When I can get a loco with sound installed for $100 or less over the same loco with just DC operation, I'll likely get the factory sound version, because it costs at least that much for a sound decoder, speaker, and enclosure - plus time to work out the install. That also assumes the sound is the full featured decoder and noot a cut down version like Bachmann uses in their Sound Value, or Walthers is using in the Trainline models.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
gzygadlo When buying your locomotives does everyone who has DCC buy them with the decoders already pre-installed?
When buying your locomotives does everyone who has DCC buy them with the decoders already pre-installed?
All of my locomotives on my layout are DCC. Some have sound. I installed about half of the decoders myself. The locomotives were cheaper DCC ready in most cases (I found 2 Life-like P2K E7As for $50 a piece, $20 for decoder, $2 LED and resistor, $6 for Athearn Genesis SD40-2 regear set, total: $78 each plus tax). Cant beat that.
As for which decoders and DCC system: All decoders that meet NMRA standards and reccommended practices will work with any DCC system you buy. Choose a DCC system based on what your friends/Club use. If you dont have someone in the area that also uses DCC, search the forums here in the DCC section. You should find a multitude of posts that will help you find the right system for you.
As for Rail-Pro, I have no experience with that system. Sounds as if it might get a tad expensive going that route. Also you might have difficulty getting the decoders under the shell of the locomotives.
Hi gzygadlo:
It doesn't make sense to me to buy DCC equipped locomotives if you are going to use Rail Pro. As has already been said, the Rail Pro receiver/decoders will provide all the control that you need. I believe you would end up scrapping the DCC decoders when you are installing the Rail Pro control units since the DCC decoders would be redundant and there likely wouldn't be space for both the Rail Pro unit and a DCC decoder anyhow.
If I were you I would start by determining the locomotives that I want to run, and then I would make sure that the Rail Pro decoders will fit in all of those locomotives. If they won't fit in some locomotives I don't see why you would get involved with the system at all.
As a personal note, I don't buy DCC sound equipped locomotives any more. I bought one InterMountain F7 chassis with factory sound (Loksound) but the decoder was modified for the specific installation and it didn't have one function that I was looking for. I could have purchased the DC version of the chassis and a separate fully featured Loksound Select decoder for about $5 less. The types of locomotives that I am interested in can be purchased in DC form for fairly low prices on eBay, and I can put a Loksound Select decoder and a couple of iPhone5 speakers in for less money than the DCC/Sound equipped units.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Before you jump I would suggest a lot of research into DCC and wireless systems like Rail Pro. There are a couple others I believe and NONE are DCC. DCC is NMRA's trademark.
MTH uses DCS which is nearly compatible with DCC. Another discussion.
Be advised, another company is coming up with decoders controlled by a smart phone and is NOT DCC.
The wireless systems can run on DCC or DC layouts but all that does is charge the on board battery.
All systems use digital control though. I guess that is were some get confused about what is DCC.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
This has all been good info for both Railpro and DCC. I have 5-6 DC engines that I will need to add decoders to. A couples of them have the 8/9 pin harness, but the others would have to be soldered for all the wires. I have some engines that are just too old, 70/80's vintage that I will leave in my display cases.
I'm an still having the debate with myself between NCE and Railpro. I like Railpro's touchscreen, but NCE I can buy my engines with the decoders already installed. Railpro is a little more pricy than a DCC system.
richg1998 DCC is NMRA's trademark. Rich
DCC is NMRA's trademark.
That DCC logo is 'Registered'(note the 'circle R' in the upper right corner). Lenz did invent the basic instructions, and made them 'open'. The NMRA basically copied the Lenz code and released it as a NMRA Standard. This basically got the Lenz Digital off the ground in the USA. IIRC, that above logo was developed by the DCC Working Group, and several of the early DCC manufactureres. They decided to use the NMRA as the focal point for common standards(this was all in the early/mid 90's).
The new LCC(Layout Command Control) was originally started as a private user group(NMRA Net) and now has a very similar logo.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin