I’m a “born again” RR hobbier. After a 48 yr. hiatus I know that much has changed, so I have many questions (some probably pretty basic to well established RR’ers). HO gauge is my interest (used to be Amer. Flyer & Lionel) & my layout space is 10’x10’. It’s freelance form in an oddly shaped (5 sided) shed that my wife allowed me to build in her garden area… but I hacked out about 85 sq. feet of space (see/open “Dix Valley RR” album @ Http://picasaweb.google.com/missivedick ). Enlarge all images w/slider or select individual image & use magnifying glass icon. From what I’ve read & heard, it seems that, for those of us on fixed income budgets, Peco gets the nod for switches, Tortoise for switch machines, Kadee for couplers & uncouplers (if I decide to use them). I can’t do much crawling around under the platform for wiring & such so I think that DCC is the way for me. I’m interested in any input regarding this type of controller. Here are some initial questions. Can electrically controlled remote switches (I have several old style Atlas type, some manual & some electric remote) be used in conjunction with any new switches that I buy? Can my old switches and any newly purchased switches be controlled by DCC? Is Tortoise the ONLY device available or is it just the most popular & reliable & easiest one? Is Peco the “HO hobbyist” standard for price & reliability (I surely don’t want to be fussing a lot about derailing)? Next, I have a variety of cars w/several different types of couplers and most have plastic wheels. I like the more authentic look of knukle coulpers and metal wheels. Is it difficult or expensive to do so? Please suggest a source & tutorial site for this It seems that uncoupling tracks are not in use very much. Is this true and if so why? If they are reliable then is Kadee the only maker, or are there other popular dependable sources? If uncouplers are reliably used, can they be DCC controlled? And the last question, at least for now, what sort of DCC should I be looking for to manage about 20 switches, 6 engines (cheap $20-$50 swap meet/garage sale variety), about 175 feet of track (according to XTrackCAD), and if it matters. a maximum 4% grade using ridged foam base over plywood platform. Sorry if some of my terminology is incorrect or improperly used, but I’m still relearning. Thanks in advance for any & all comments & suggestions & RECOMMENDATIONS.
Dick , your many questions can certainly be answered here but I think they will give way to a LOT of new questions if you have been out of the hobby . My one suggestion would be to join a local model railroad club in the San Diego area . If they are decent folks , they can give you a lot of "hands on training" that will be very valuable in the long run . Here in southern Ontario , in a city of 200k people , we have about 40 in our one main club . I should think your area will have a lot more resources at hand . Terry
Welcome to TrainBoard and back to the hobby! Those items you have listed as choices so far, such as track, switch machines, etc, are very good. You seem to be very much on the right "track" so to speak. You might find searching our Forum message archives very helpful for further suggestions or ideas. Please ask any questions desired. There are some fine modelers here who can certainly help. Boxcab E50
1.There are several fine DCC products to choose from . I run Digitrax , as does our club , and for what equipment you have , the entry level system will do the job . 2. Kadee couplers , mostly #5's should work for you . We don't run uncouplers ...do it by hand with a small tool ( looks like a skewer ) 3. Peco switches are good value for the $$$ . I , personally , wouldn't mix your old switches with new , but it could be done . 4.Tortoise machines are what we chose .....quiet and efficient . 5.Switches can be controlled from your DCC throttle . 6.Again , look , ask , around your area and see what others have . It makes it easier on you if you have to ask further questions and you run the same equipment . AND YOU WILL HAVE QUESTIONS ! 7. Definitely get rid of the plastic wheels . There are good deals on metal wheels in a 100 pack ....check on line . Good Luck , Terry
....almost forgot an important one .....if you want to use your old switches , they are probably code 100 rail which means you will be buying all rail the same . The new look, from when you were in the hobby , is code 83 or even code 70 . The old code 100 is cheaper but doesn't look as realistic . T
Dick - Hi and welcome to Trainboard. First you mention that your trainboard will be foam over plywood. With 100 s.f. of area I hope that you will re-consider using the good, ole 4' x 8' sheet. Unless you place it perfectly in your room, access will be quite a bit of fun. I'm having problems with 30" benchwork @ 40" height. The ability to reach without damaging something can be quite a task. What you want is most important here. I have friends who "love" model railroading, but it seems that the RR serves more importantly as an excuse to build cities and/or scenery - nothing wrong with that but if that is your intent, you'll approach the hobby differently than some one whose intent and focus is on the railroad and railroading. If railroads, their immediate surroundings and activities are at the core of your interest, you may be more interested in an around-the-walls shelf type layout. And, if you have to have a continuous run, hopefully you have a friend who is skilled in carpentry and will "bridge" your door opening. If I build yet another layout, no part of it will be wider than 18" and 14-16" sounds better. Should you build a shelf-type layout, the question of switch machines becomes moot - you can throw them by hand! Tortoise and Digitrax are in use at the club I belong to and I am impressed by everything except the price. Both work and as far as I can tell, very, very well. As far as I know all cars and engines come with knuckle type couplers. Some of which are "almost" as good as Kadee. For this reason I keep a bulk-bag of Kadee #5's with whiskers on hand to replace failures. As for metal wheels, project #9,863 on my list is to replace all plastic wheels. A lot has changed since I first began model railroading ~47 some odd years ago and you may well want to read up on these changes before committing to any one way or thing. Hope this helps and good luck.
Welcome at TrainBoard, Dick and welcome back to the hobby. There's no other hobby with so many facets like model railroading. Wolfgang
Unless you have some grand master plan for computer control then on your apparently limited budget I'd avoid trying to DCC your switches. It will cost you extra cash for interface modules which will be far better spent getting decent engines. Cheap, nasty locos can seriously damage your fun. You can use manual control for many if not all switches, and just electrify with Tortoise or whatever and switch/pushbutton those that are too hard/to far to work manually.
I agree with Mike, the one thing that will ruin the hobby is "garage sale and flea market locos". You will get what you pay for. That 20 dollar deal is just that...the seller got a 20 spot and you get...well, good luck. Look for quality, it may not be cheap, but it won't be as expensive as buying a bunch of junk and then trying to get it to run. And plastic wheels make great detail for the scrapyard..look for metal wheels. And old track? If you have almost 50 year old track it may well be brass rail. These days, there is no brass rail track available, it's all nickel silver. Works much better. Welcome back and have fun, things are indeed better now than back then. I know this from experience. Woodie
Teejay Thanks. for encouragement ~ clubs. Our San Diego RR Museum HO portion) is primarily operated by one of our local clubs. I will be visiting the clib meeting soon & hope to get a lot of much needed information. I'm a believer in the philosphy that "the only dumb question is the one that is not asked". I'll also give a thourough search in the forums for more information in these & other areas of interest but I wanted to junp right in & start gathering useful,reliable, experienced info for those who are well versed in the hobby. I love the diversity of thoughts that happen here when someone seeks help. Being a newbie, I REALLY appreciate all the help I can get, a fast as I can get it. Thanks again RR Dick
Dave, Thanks. The door opening is hinged w/onlt 1 track spanning the gap. I'm happy to hear ~ Kadee 5's. Yours is the 3rd endorsement I've heard. Digitrack & NEC are the DCC I've often heard about. Zepahar is another that I've heard of...any comments?
Wolfgang, your right about SOOOO many facets to the hobby. That's what brought me back to it. It's too bad some of my colleagues from my old professional community don't realize what they're missing. Maybe, if I'm lucky, they'll get the RR hobby bug.
Mike, Your info about use of switches is pretty much what I had in mind. I know that decoders & switch machines are pricy. I'll have to save some $ for better engines.
Mogollon, Woody My old wheels will fill a junk yard I think. Got any recommendations ~ good places to buy new ones?
Boxcab, I'll be searching & reviewing all of the forums, etc. very soon. I like your handyman secret...duct tape... RR Dick
Dick , the Digitrax Zephyr is the entry level system . It will be sufficient for what you have now . Get the club members involved in helping you with this . Unless you are a whiz at that sort of thing , it's best to get help . If their club uses a different brand DCC , by all means look at it too .....there are several good ones . Getting your " hands dirty" in building scenery and scratch building is another fun way to get involved . Any of the "newbies" we get at are club are put to work soon after they join . We were all new , once , and if they mess up it's not a big deal , just part of learning . Terry
RR Dick - If you're asking me about DCC systems, I may not be the right person to ask. My home layout is straight DC with the toggle switches, a total rats nest of wiring underneath it. At the club the Digitrack system is in use and on first exposure to same was very tempted to switch. One attraction of the Digitrack is that you can run most (not all, most) regular DC engines using their "00" entry. I've run quite a few of my analog engines at the club using this system amd it works very well. Downside is the cost of even anyones' basic system plus the cost of decoder installation in my 70+ units. For now I'll continue using my 10 or so engines that are DCC equipped at the club. As for the McHenry couplers even tho' I now have ~30 to 40 R-T-R cars, some 5 or 6 years old, I've never had to replace the first coupler. Engines are a different story, on both Proto 2000 and Athearn Genesis I've had to replace some couplers. Again, I have a stash on hand, whenever a coupler fails, it gets replaced by a Kadee #5 with whiskers.
One more thing , Dick .....one of the cheapest and best purchases you can make is a STANDARDS GAUGE if you are going to start messing with wheels and couplers . It's something many of us overlook , or don't use often enough . Rolling stock that seems to uncouple for no reason can have the trip pin on the coupler set at the wrong height , or can have improper weight ......little easily remedied things that can drive you crazy if you don't have all rolling stock set to a similar standard . We have one guy at the club who checks ALL the rolling stock a couple of times a year . Sure enough , he'll find several errors . When you have everything on the same page , the cars will run much smoother and be problem free. Terry
Woodie, Thanks again. So now my question 2 you is...what should I look for in a decent, not expensive, engine? Are there particular ones to avoid? Can they be ranked by maker or attributes? Atlas, Atherton, Bachmann, Mikado are just a few that I see regularly. I'm sure that there are others that U could recommend for me to consider. If nothing else, I could use my current one for painting/weathring practice. Your suggestions are welcomed. RR Dick
