SUX V R40 Rider Yes, DCC is out of the question right now. Mainly because of the expense...I don't need to add to the frustration of trying to work with DCC right now until i get more experience with what i have.
Yes, DCC is out of the question right now. Mainly because of the expense...I don't need to add to the frustration of trying to work with DCC right now until i get more experience with what i have.
I don't know what sort of info you've gotten from friends or sources but DCC REALLY isn't all that complicated - or it doesn't have to be. In fact, I started out with hooking up a rudimentary Bachmann E-Z Command DCC system (that I bought for $53 in 2005) to my 4 x 8 with only two wires and was running two locomotives independently within minutes. It can be THAT simple.
I've migrate to a more sophisticated DCC system since then but I still only have one block for my 4 x 8 layout. Even with the E-Z Command and its limitations, I had a BLAST using it for the year that I had it. DCC made operating trains - for me - that much more fun.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I, too, would suggest that you consider DCC. When I returned to the hobby after a long absence, I thought DCC was something better suited to large, complex layouts. After building my own small layout, I realized that once one gets beyond a simple loop of track, DCC has great advantages. As Tom said above, block wiring and DC cab operations get very tedious if the blocks are too small, as they are on many small layouts.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
richhotrain Or, you could convert to DCC and forget the blocks. Rich
Or, you could convert to DCC and forget the blocks.
Rich
I have to agree with this quote from Rich,, after being in the hobby for about 55yrs and strictly a DC user,although I have a 3cab layout roughly 25x55 with a double track main line it entailed a large amount of wiring to accomplish that, it would have been so much easier had it been DCC..
Cheers, to you on whatever you decide to do.
Frank
Alton Junction
I gotta ask then: Is DCC not an option at this point? The reason for asking is that with two-cab operation: The smaller the layout, the smaller your blocks will be and the more toggle switch throwing that will be required. You'll pretty much be glued to your control panel on your layout if you'll be moving rolling stock across those blocks frequently.
Now I have no problem with you sticking with DC. I'm just wondering if DCC would make it easier and more enjoyable for you in your circumstance. Since you only have/will have 2 locomotives, conversion would be less costly than down the road - i.e. should you want to go that route.
My ...
Joe Staten Island West
Right now it is 4' x 8'. No plans to expand it, yet.
I am starting small with enough locos. and rolling stock to fill the space in between the oval track as a rail yard. The rolling stock is all advertising that started as a Hy-Vee train set. Hy-vee is a grocery store chain based in Iowa and located mainly throughout the mid west. The train set is from 1996. In fact 1996 is the number on the SD locomotive. Most of the original rail cars are have various Kraft products advertised on them, one car is a Log Cabin Syrup. I have since purchased a pink Gerber baby food reefer, a reefer with Heinz products advertised on it another reefer with Eggo advertised on it and a news print car. I also have 2 grain cars, one has Maxwell House Coffee advertised on it and the other has Hy-Vee brand butter on it.
The original set is an IHC with a Mehano locomotive. The cars purchased in addition are a mixture of IHC others. I think a couple of them may be Tyco. All of the cars and the loco. have been kit bashed and modified to use knuckle couplers, better quality trucks and wheels.
The new loco. I purchased is an Athearn Dakota and Iowa Railroad, or D&I, GP50. D&I is operated out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and they have a yard in my city, Sioux City, Iowa.
The original train set was willed to me from my father in law.
I am done kit bashing and modifieing rolling stock and locomotives. Going froward the car and loco will already have knuckle couplers or i won't use it. The most I'll do is if it has plastic wheels i'll swap it out with metal.
To begin with all of my rail cars that are advertising related are not prototypical and have no real use in such a layout. That is why it will strictly be a rail yard with nothing but advertising rolling stock hauled by either the D&I or the Hy-Vee loco. Both loco's are local to my region and this advertising yard layout will strictly be for fantasy and fun.
The next rolling stock purchases will be from my local hobby shop and will be of cars that are local business in my regional area. For example. Cargill Foods, Terra Industries and IBP.
I have also done research on full size rolling stock I often see run through my area to see who owns or operates the cars. For a lot of them I see they are leased for individual companies to use.
As such once I obtain enough rolling stock my focus is going to be individual industries that I will swap out on my 4' x 8' island layout. For example grain cars leaving where it is loaded, pulling into a ethanol plant, then tankers leaving the ethanol plant to the fuel distribution facility where it is stored until needed by gas stations. This will symbolize 3 industries, farming or farm Co-Op, ethanol production and fuel distribution.
Another will be from a farm Co-Op that stores grains needed for beer production to a brewery and then to a distribution facility.
With the Cornerstone series plus other buildings in the2013 Walthers Reference Book I should be able to build as many layout options as I need that can be swapped out.
I don't know if I will build a permanent one or stick with the island style. My island is modular made up of 4 individual 2' x 4' sections, each supported by its own set of folding banquet table legs and connected with dowel pins in the middle, held together with strong draw catch hardware.
Sorry I went a bit over board on my answer but this is how I am going to build my layouts for right now.
SUX V R40 Rider One detail I did not mention, but do not think it makes a whole lot of difference, is I am using Bachmann nickel silver EX track. I understand it may require some drilling through the plastic rail bed if I have to connect wires directly to the rails. That will work but you don't have to. You can use a new ez track terminal section for each block. Will plastic rail joiners work wiht the EZ track? Or does this complicate things? No it doesnt complicate things. Plastic rail joiner is just used in place of a metal one. With the description could I get away with using only one power pack with a different modification, but still run both locos. at the same time, in different directions and at different speeds? This won't work. You need two power packs A previous answer i received from someone, no one from here, is use a twin. But again I was frustrated by the lack of that person elaborating as to how to do this. If i have to use both power packs I have no problem with that, especially with the application I am wanting to operate. There are other ways to do this, I just outlined what I did and showed you a pic, Unless I receive additional info. it looks like option one is the best way to go, for now. Thank you, but keep the advice coming.
One detail I did not mention, but do not think it makes a whole lot of difference, is I am using Bachmann nickel silver EX track. I understand it may require some drilling through the plastic rail bed if I have to connect wires directly to the rails.
That will work but you don't have to. You can use a new ez track terminal section for each block.
Will plastic rail joiners work wiht the EZ track? Or does this complicate things?
No it doesnt complicate things. Plastic rail joiner is just used in place of a metal one.
With the description could I get away with using only one power pack with a different modification, but still run both locos. at the same time, in different directions and at different speeds?
This won't work. You need two power packs
A previous answer i received from someone, no one from here, is use a twin. But again I was frustrated by the lack of that person elaborating as to how to do this. If i have to use both power packs I have no problem with that, especially with the application I am wanting to operate.
There are other ways to do this, I just outlined what I did and showed you a pic,
Unless I receive additional info. it looks like option one is the best way to go, for now.
Thank you, but keep the advice coming.
Hope this helps more, Derek
So...How big of a layout are we talking?
The answer is to block it. It couldn't be easier. All you need is some switches by Atlas.
https://secure.atlasrr.com/mod1/items.asp?Cc=HN862&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=
click on the link and then click on electrical components and then HO switch controls.
If scroll down to the bottom of the page you'll need 1 Controller switch. You'll see a "a" and a "b" spot to connect both power packs. Then you will need at least 1 of the selector switches. Each piece of track that is a "block" or power district or zone is connected to the selector. The selector determines which power pack is controlling what track or "block". You can connect a series of the selector switches to create more blocks. Any good hobby shop should have these.
Very important: make sure each block is electrically isolated. In other words you must separate the blocks by putting a plastic rail joiner in between each block or cut a gap in rail.
I'm sure other will recommend different ways but this is the way I accomplished block control in DC.
Good Luck, Derek
Edit and update, I found an old pic to show you.
Sounds like at it's simplest form you need two "blocks" one to run your main line and one for the yard. that is easy to do. You have to separate the power so that each block has it's own power ( and power pack). to do this use plastic rail joiners at the point that the yard starts,if there are more than one entrance to the yard then plastic joiners will have to be used at every point where the yard contacts the main line, this keeps the power from each block from going into the other block. Then hook one of your power packs to the main line block, and hook the other power pack to the yard. You will still have the option of running an engine between blocks, just make sure you have both power packs running in the same direction as the engine passes from one block to the other. If you have both engines in the same block they will both react to the power pack in that block This is describes in it's simplest terms and more complex solutions exist but it will do what you want
My question is simple, HOW do you block a DC layout so 2 locomotives or more can be operated at the same time and at different speeds and in forward and reverse with 2 power packs?
Here are some details on why I need to do this:
1. I will soon have 2 locomotives, one is on order and will be here this week.
2. I need one loco. it is an SD unit, to run the train around the mainline oval on my island layout.
3. I need the other loco. it is a GP unit, to be the switcher to transfer rolling stock form one yard siding to another using the turnouts/switches that make up my yard ladder and stage the cars on the main line for the SD unit to connect to haul around the main line.
4. I would like to use both power packs. One will operate the main line loco., the other the yard loco., switches.turnouts.
As you can see both locomotives will need to be able to operate at different speeds and in forward and reverse at different times.
When I have asked the question of how to run two locomotives on a DC powered layout I get the same answer: "block it", but no one elaborates on how to do so and I have gotten no where on how to do so. Well now I am asking: HOW to block it? I need some type of easy to understand/read diagram or other reliable resource to look at that will show me how to do this.
Thank you.