Greetings, gang..... I was wondering if anyone out there still operates their layout with a non-DCC control system, specifically Dynatrol, which is one of the first successful command control systems from the 1980's, before the advent of DCC. For those who have never heard of it, it's an analog carrier control system as opposed to digital, but is a reliable and proven system, can be made to operate with infrared wireless throttles, and even with DCC. Surprisingly the product is still supported, now by a new owner who is constantly "bringing it up to spec" and improving it, and for those of us who want (or need) a simple command control system, this is it, especially if you're on a budget and can't afford a DCC system, but want to move beyond the DC power pack (not that there isn't anything wrong with that!) Some of the hobby's more popular layout owners have used Dynatrol before they took down or rebuilt their current layouts, like Tony Koester's Midland Road, and Lee Nicholas' UC&W, Chuck Hitchcock's Santa Fe, and RPI's NEB&W. One of the hobby's better kept secrets (and that I happen to operate on), Harold Werthwein's large Erie layout, STILL uses Dynatrol in a big way, 20 years and running! To see what makes up Classic Dynatrol, the website to see all the component parts is at - http://www.classicdynatrol.dynu.com If you happen to be one of those "closet" Dynatrol users, and were wondering, "does anybody out there still use this stuff?", the answer is YES! I have recently taken over moderating a discussion group dedicated to Classic Dynatrol on Yahoo Groups at - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dynatrol/ Our motto is, "Just because it's not DCC doesn't mean it's not worth using!!!" Thanks, Ralph Heiss S. Plainfield, NJ
Hi Ralph and welcome to the Train Board! Thanks for the info on Dynatrol. It looks very interesting. I would be interested in knowing how easy it would be to fit the receivers in some of my N Scale locos, particularly the F units. The biggest reason I haven't made the plunge to DCC is the expense and aggravation of fitting receivers in older locos. Also, DCC has a "perceived" sharp learning curve which I'm not interested in doing at this time. I will spend some time in the Dynatrol users group to see what I can learn! Thanks!
