My HO scale layout started out being a DC layout but what I discovered was that it would have to be upgraded to a dcc layout. I am wanting to base it off of the San Joaquin valley in Central California.I have used woodland scenics foam sheets for making a mountain and tunnel going right through it. If anyone has any recomendations let me know.
Give us an idea of how far you've gotten, and how big the layout is. In most cases, if you haven't done extensive blocking, there is really no difference in wiring the two: drop sufficient feeders and wire them to the bus, maintaining polarity. The key differences will come with handling reversing sections, and power districts.
update on my railroad Well I have half of the old track removed and half of the main line nailed down. I have also finished decorating and sculpting the first mountain of the mountain range which has a tunnel running through it, the mountain is about 2 feet high and has a rough outline of the shape of a mountain for a base. I do not have any DCC trains yet but I do plan to get some and upgrade the trains that I already have. The trains that I have working are 1 model power Santa Fe DC steam locomotive with spring knucle coupler on tender; 4 porter hustler's each from a different railway; 1 sd40 Baltimore and Ohio Desiel train. I am planning to order some supplies from GOHobbies.com in Riverside, California I hope you could provide some insight as to what I would need to do to upgrade my HO scale layout to DCC.
The advice being given in the other thread is really where to start with DCC. If you look at BarstowRick's thread, "DPDT, 22gauge wire....", you'll see that he was able to plug in a DCC system to a DC layout with ZERO problems; starting a basically from scratch layout, just look figure out what it is you plan to do (number of trains running, number of operators, turnouts, etc), and look at the different manufacturer's web sites. Tony's Train Exchange has a good beginner's tutorial on DCC, as well, along with some cross brand comparisons of available systems. I currently have a Zephyr, with one DT402, on the JACALAR. That's a nice beginning unit, with a lot of expandability. But, the NCE systems are nice as well. If you don't have the option of visiting a layout where you can see a system in use, read through the online manuals, and figure out which one makes the most sense to you and go with that brand. One thing I did, once I had selected the Zephyr, I made a temporary layout (with Unitrack, that's easy), and operated trains until I felt quite familiar with the process. Didn't add anything fancy at first. Doesn't take that long, but then, as you plan your layout, you will know what to plan for. Questions you will need to answer: Do you want computer interface How many operators at a time How many trains at a time How many turnouts Do you want block occupancy detection and automatic control Do you want a reversing section Do you want to add circuit breaker protection Once you can articulate how you want your railroad to run, not just what it is going to model, then you can make a more informed decision.
Well said! You really need to develop the "rules" for your layout based on the questions above, and those answers will guide you to the proper solution. I would add, how many locomotives operating at one time as the best way to calculate the power supply needs.
