In DCC: Can anyone shed some light on the effect to individual engine speed of running multiple engines. Since I do not have any sensors on the layout I am relying on time in my scripts and just wondered if anyone has had experience in quantifying this. ie: if engine A, running alone, takes 56 seconds from point A to B ...... will it remain 56 seconds if one, or two other engines are running at the same time ....... (not in a consist) on separate areas of the layout
I run up 3 engines (2 front 1 rear) on my layout with really long coal load out. I run DC, but if I keep all same model brand units together, they run the same. If I mix, lets say my Frisco with a BN, one usually run faster or slower. I can't control individual train speed of each unit like DCC can to match speeds. I rely on watching each engine to see if its dragging or pushing.
esfeld, I too run scripts depending on both time and track sensing. If your DCC wiring doesn't allow for voltage drop than multiple locos should run the same. The thing that effects mine the most is temperature, the colder they are the slower they run.
I run DCC. I have run 4 trains on the mains at the same time...and a switcher in the yard. I havent seen any drop in speed with any locomotives as more where added. I know on DC...the more locomotives added each will run slower as they have to 'share' the DC power.
Only if the output of the power source is poorly regulated and/or the resistance of the wires to the track is too high.
Not being an electrical whizbang, and also not running DCC just straight DC I have no issues with slow downs or lack of power with multiple locos. I attribute it to having more than adequate power feeds supplying my track with few connections that also can rob some power. I can run 5-6 locos at a time before power and speed degrade which is about tops for the power pack I am using. I also run locos of like manufacture together and don't mix them. I have found that the speed ranges of the 70 and 44 tonners are closely matched and run together fine while the S-4 is just too slow to play nice at any throttle setting and likewise for the LL SWs, in their case being complete racehorses that don't play well with other small locos.
Might not have been the power source. While I say that my pack will run 5-6 locos it will run more it just starts heating up considerably if I run more so I could get away with a few more in the short term with a slight degrading of speed and power. Of course I also don't run any of those big honking WDCXS-70-8s either. Length of wire feeders also has some bearing, along with size. Just like trying to get pressure out of an extremely long garden hose long wire runs also lose some of those little electrons like water pressure drops. And every connection or splice is another loss in power. I am feeding my power selection switches with a larger diameter wire of maybe six inches in length if that much. And then a smaller diameter wire feeds the track with the shortest possible wire run. I only have one splice in a longer run and that uses the larger diameter wire for most of the distance. I also use a lot of flex track where ever I can cutting down the number of points where the rail joins, also a power loss point.
