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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by enduringexp Why does everyone against it keep saying it is for a SMALL home layout. I don't quite understand, but what does size have to do with it? If I have 5 locos running on a 4X8 or 5 locos running on a 25X40, what's the difference in DCC requirements? I would think (a stretch as I know little about DCC) that number of locos operated plus number of stationary DCC accessories dictates whether or not a system will work. Am I at least correct on that part? If I have 5 locos, NO DCC accessories, and no sound, do I NEED more to run my layout, or is more merely a luxury? [/quote] Well, it all depends on those 5 locos, and how many of them you run at the same time. From what I've read, the Bachmann Easy-DCC is a 1 amp system, which can probably run at most 3-4 'modern' locos at the same time. If you have older, higher amperage locos, that number is lower. So if you're only running one or two single loco trains at a time, the Bachmann system may be all you need. Once you start consisting trains, the Bachmann system will run out of juice pretty quick. At that point, you'd need to add a booster, and I don't think (though I may be wrong) that boosters are available that work with the Bachmann command station. In that case, it'd be time to put the Bachmann on eBay and invest in a bigger system. I would have loved to have something like the Bachmann DCC system 10-12 years ago when I built my first 4x8 layout, since I never ran more than 2 locos at once. But with my new 7x9.5 u-shaped layout, I plan on running multi-loco consists, with trains passing in long sidings, local way freights, and at least one yard loco idling if not active while the other trains 'cruise' the mainline. I went with the Zephyr because of its expandability for the future, and because it has the power I need now to keep a couple of locos moving at least.
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