Are the same features and nice to have things available in N Scale as in HO and larger scales? Things like DCC, sounds, etc. Thanks Russ
Yes, DCC is very doable in N Scale, and many of the latest loco releases are coming either DCC ready, or DCC friendly. Sound is a little harder to do, but I am getting ready to try it on one of my Amtrak consists by mounting the speakers and sound decoder in an MHC car, which will run directly behind the loco. Hopefully, in the not too distant future I will be able to give a report on how well this worked. Soundtraxx is also coming out with it's Surroundtraxx system that while it is a little pricey, will allow you to utilize transponding to have multiple loco sounds follow your trains around the layout. It will use 6 speakers mounted strategically under the layout to create the effect of movement. This should be a great thing for N scale pikes.
Everything is the same, except for sound, which is slower out the barrel. Some one in one of the forums has a location on his web site which has a video of his engine running with sound (and you can hear the sound in the video). Any one know of that site and a link can be provided to it. What you do need to know is that sound is expensive. The sound decoder board and speaker may cost more than your loco.
I read Soundtraxx is supposed to come out with an under table sound system for all scales and DCC. You can start with 1 speaker or break your track into blocks, and the sound will follow your locos, with the sound level decreasing as you leave 1 block as it increases entering another. I am waiting on this system for my modular layout so I can have a speaker on each module.
