I am in the process of looking for the correct model of the Spirit 1943 in dcc configuration, however I noticed this when looking at Kato's site, see the screenshot. My layout will be Digitrax DCC. Can any of these models highlighted work on a digitrax layout or does it have to be a digitrax decoder model of the loco? I hope I'm explaining that right and it makes sense that I'm slightly confused here. Originally I was planning on buying the Loksound version. I do want sound on this engine. N EMD SD70ACe Nose Headlight – UP “The Spirit” #1943 https://store.katousa.com/product/n-emd-sd70ace-nose-headlight-up-the-spirit-1943/ (I realize this link is for the non DCC version but the info I'm asking about is at the bottom.)
Yes, any of those will work on a Digitrax system. As long as they are NMRA complient, any decoder should work on any DCC system. There have been a few incompatibility issues in the past, but I don't believe there are any with any current decoders or systems. FYI - BLI (Broadway Limited Imports) also produced that model (BLI part #7030). Personally, I find BLI slightly more detailed than Kato. An additional feature I like about BLI diesels is they have operating ditch lights - they don't just light up, which Kato's ditchlights also do, but they also can flash alternately like the prototype.The BLI might be harde to find, though, but here's one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256568119530?_skw=BLI+7030&itmmeta=01JN2PNS156G1KD04GSGYBHKRS&hash=item3bbca6d0ea:g:8BQAAOSwDQtmjbGo&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAAwFkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fVPYMUOPwEoPgnx3dcmiJ5uOwA+aq4kKo3TlX73nbJDAzBeRjcocygCQJ8QpFWQKiykT2tbSiXncVfArU82Q3WqTasBEZldtpzh8uaHwQNUplTs65b4euRkxe7XmqYskhDqufHIEsmc3CL0usZnUtVEaegDUXXFdH2do8ZmzWKBOQ5KBdRybX7pSCDFBbxTY0LyW+Caz2TkxW9g6OXjmew383fmE4cio8YJQsml89RSQ==|tkp:Bk9SR6CR19aoZQ
Hey Robert! Yeah I was watching a video on the Broadway Limited vs. Kato comparison and the person reviewing both on YouTube was very fair in their comparison - what they mentioned that steered me back away from BLI was that he said if there's any slight issues with track the BLI tends to get hung up or derail more easily. Not sure why that is, but that was enough of a motiviation for me to steer clear for now. I did know that their models were of high quality and detail so thanks for the heads up.
Well, I notice his review is of a Paragon 3, the Paragon 4 (which the latest BLI "The Spirit" is) does have added keep-alive capacitance which should solve the dirty track problem; however, I do have a couple of Paragon 3's that don't have a problem with dirty track unless it is very dirty. I also have one Paragon 2, and it is sensitive to dirty track, but still not nearly as bad as his example. As far as his other issues with surging, couplers and bad track, I just haven't seen that with any of my BLI locomotives. I wonder if he could have just gotten a bad example. I don't have a large fleet of BLI - one diesel Paragon 2, one diesel and one steam Paragon 3, and one diesel and one steam Paragon 4, but I have been very pleassed with every one so far and plan to get more.
As a rule Katos are good, but I've had nothing but problems with the 2 Kato SD70 ACes I have. I have 2 BLIs that have had no issues, 2 Fox Valley that are fine, and 2 Katos both of which have had driveline issues, and one to the point that it's now a shelf queen in my display case. My other Katos are all fine, just the ACes have been a problem. I'm not sure if BLI makes a stealth version (No DCC, just DCC ready).........Actually I can't find your loco listed by BLI. But that only means they don't have any in inventory, which means you'll need to work harder to find one. I agree with CSX Robert that the BLIs are slightly better detailed, and I find their DCC to have better features than most. They also have traction tires (some people love em, some people hate em) so they have better pulling power. But it somewhat depends on what you'll be running your loco with........Katos tend to be on the fast side , and they don't pair well (out of the box) with other brands. You can speed match in DCC, but I personally try to avoid that if possible. But if your other locos are Kato, I'd go with the Kato.
They've actually gone away from them with their diesels. My Paragon 2 diesel has them, and my 3 and 4 steam have them, but but my 3 and 4 diesels do not.
I also have a Digitrax DCC system (DCS 51). Decoder brands do not matter as they are all made to work within NMRA DCC specifications. I have two Kato SD70ACe locomotives equipped with ESU LokSound 58741 decoders. No chassis milling needed! I glue a 9x16mm sugar cube speaker to a short-height baffle made by CRude Engineering and attach that to the rear side of the chassis with Kapton Tape.
I am leaning toward the KATO, though the debate fascinates me. And some of the conversation has me considering the BLI. I did know the detail was better on the BLI. I just felt like from everything I read KATO would offer pretty much no hassles and good reliability. The issue I will have to deal with with KATO is switching the couplers out for Microtrains. I'm planning to standardize all my RS to MT.
Just to be sure you understand - Kato's knuckle couplers are compatible with Micro Trains, so you don't have to switch them out, though many people do.
CSX Robert........I was going by the listing for the specific loco Christopher is looking at..........it says they have traction tires. I checked and mine do not, so you are probably correct. Kato couplers seem to be hit or miss........it's the one thing that bugs me about them. Some work fine, others don't want to couple with ANYTHING. And they seem to be very inconsistent height wise. I've converted most of mine, mostly to get the height correct. But almost every one has mismatched couplers, or incorrect couplers (according to the MT chart). Most of my SDs have a 1015/1016 on one end and a 2001 on the other (2001 is recommended) but it isn't consistent on which end. A few have 2 1015s (incorrect). It's very frustrating. My NW switchers are the same way. But the F units seem to be fine.
@CSX Robert Ah nice to know - I did not know this. I did see that guy from Texas on Youtube switch his out- The sentiments about heigh apply.
Emphasis mine. Yes, up to a limit. Sure, the minimum standards for DCC locomotive encoder features are pretty universal across all brands, but there are additional NMRA standards/features that are not universal across brands of decoders (or command stations.) For example: Transponding is the ability for a decoder to communicate back to the command station, even while running. Digitrax has their transponding protocol, but NMRA has standardized a different transponding protocol (RailCom). So, if you have a Digitrax DCC system, there is some added value to using a Digitrax decoder. Whether that added value is overridden by other factors is up to you. If you have an ESU or TCS (or other) DCC system that supports Railcom, there is significant added value to using a RailCom-equipped decoder from ESU, TCS, Zimo, et al, especially when programming while on the mainline (even while it and other locos are running.) Reading back a decoder's registers with RailCom is also MUCH faster than on a programming track, and it doesn't (have to) move the loco.
I had a Kato SD70ACe driveline problem too. Ultimately it was due to the gears picking up an incredibly small piece of tree ......... an N scale tree , but yes, some tree. Our club track seems to have endless amounts of this orange, red, yellow and woody stuff all over the place no matter how much I vacuum it away. I tried cleaning the gears like any other loco but I could not clear a regular hesitation in the bogies. I tried using compressed air and slowly moving the gears and couldn't clear it. I filled the trucks with dish washing liquid (soap) and put them in my ultrasonic cleaner. After a full hour small pieces of red tree squishy stuff appeared in the tank but the trucks still hesitated. I took the worm gear off the trucks and gave them another half an hour of cleaning. Eventually I found an incredibly small piece of wood lodged right in the bottom of a couple of gears. The piece of wood was reeeeeeeeeeally small !! ..... but it did cause a big problem. I hope this helps ....... if it was a hesitation problem.
Tiny?! Imagine your vehicle with a 1" diameter bolt wedged in the gears of the differential. Glad you were able to find it and get it outa there!
