Which DCC System

woogie01 Jun 6, 2015

  1. woogie01

    woogie01 New Member

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    Hello,
    First let me start by saying "I'm very new to model railroading", so new in fact I've never layed any track, haven't even purchased any yet. Leaning towards ME. All I have so far is a kato fef 484 the two water tenders and the excursion train. I also have the ge es44 up. my sister asked the local hobby store what i needed and thats what she left the store with. I sent both engines to franks hobby in essex junction vt. for dcc lights and sound. can i just say, they shouldn't call this the "worlds greatest hobby" it should be referred to as the "worlds most expensive hobby" I've built a 5x10 table with pulleys and a winch to raise it to the basement ceiling. so which dcc system ford or chevy, ncc or digitrax. nce user friendly. digitrax not so much but has loconet and jrmi, which dosn't look very user friendly at all. and jrmi dosn't support alot of nce features. what about chrysler, ecos2 i did a search and the last thread was in may of 2008. ecos looks very user friendly and has all the advanced features. i guess what i'm asking is how do people feel about ecos now?
    thank you
    Leo
     
  2. papahnash

    papahnash TrainBoard Member

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    woogie, I have no experience with the Ecos system but given that you have a 5' x 10' table, you may need to walk around it. The Ecos system much like the Digitrax Zephyr are console based. An additional throttle can be added to the Zephyr for a reasonable cost. I'm don't know if that is possible with the Ecos. The NCE is a hand held system.
    Hope this helps.

    Harold
     
  3. retsignalmtr

    retsignalmtr TrainBoard Member

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    There is a learning period with any DCC system you purchase. Digitrax and NCE are the most popular systems and each has its quirks. I have a Digitrax Super Empire Builder radio and i'm very happy with it. I have installed Digitrax units on my clubs layouts as well as several other units from the Zephyr to the Super Chief. So I prefer Digitrax and can recommend them. They are user friendly as well as NCE units. Just take your time and you'll learn
     
  4. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    Find local modelers, use their systems. Find which you like. If everyone around you uses one or the other, I'd go with that one, as then you have someone who is local and come assist in trouble shooting.
     
  5. jdetray

    jdetray TrainBoard Member

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    I think you will that NCE and JMRI are quite compatible with one another!

    - Jeff
     
  6. urodoji

    urodoji TrainBoard Member

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    NCE has a feature on their website with lists of layouts that can be visited and operated with their DCC systems.
     
  7. flexeril

    flexeril TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for sharing your experience. Digitrax is what I am planning and with radio. I am planning for the top of the line system. Although overkill for my dream layout, I like the bells and whistles it offers.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  8. hirailer22

    hirailer22 New Member

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    Have a look at RailPro. I have been using this system for the last year and a half and I love it. RailPro is a top of the line radio control, is wired the same as DCC but that's where the similarity ends. RailPro is very easy to install and operate, requires no test tracks. ev's, loconets, JMRI or fancy wiring. The price is about the same as a wireless DCC ststem. For more information check out Ring Engineering, they have a great website with lots of information. This system is state of the art technology which works very well.

    Mel

    CROSS RIVER RAILWAY
     

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