I'm planning on buying NCE after a month of evaluation. I've been told that reverse loops are something to contend with when in a DCC environment and that there are cheap solutions to the problem. MRC makes a good and inexpensive reverse loop module. You must use one module for each reverse loop. Does anyone have any experience with these and how do they hook up? Also, there seems to be an issue with how long a train is and the length of the reverse loop. In particular, a train with metal wheels and metal couplers (Kadee) can cause a short and cause the DCC to shut down the entire system if the front of the train leaves the reverse loop before the end of the train is fully inside the reverse loop. Is this the case? How does this issue get solved?
Well, let's see here. First, how can you reverse a train longer than the reverse loop? With that being said, we reverse one main onto the next with double-track (so the train can be longer), and use the MRC units. I personally have not hooked one up, but one of them has to be replaced, so I can get back to you about it. We also use the NCE system, so if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. ------------------ Corey Lynch Pres - Rensselaer Model RR Society NEB&W RR http://www.rpi.edu/~lynchc/Railfanning/railfanning.htm - My Site http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/ - NEB&W
I would personally recommend the units sold by TTX. Go to www.ttx-dcc.com and look at their comparison information. I have two of them and they act like magic. They cost less than the MRC units and can handle up to 4 amps vs the 2 amps of the MRC units. They are totally electronic, no mechanical relays that cause flickering when the polarity is switched. They have a built in auto-reset CB and a LED indication of the boards function. Easy hook-up. Two wires in and two wires out. Check it out. As to your question about length, no the whole train does not have to be in the reverse section at the same time. The restriction is that you can't have polarity conflicts at both the entry and exit from the reverse section at the same time. Metal wheels could cause this to occur if the train exceeds the length of the reverse section but I have yet to see it on my layout. I have all metal wheels on my cars and some of my trains have exceeded the reverse section length. The reason you don't get the short (polarity conflict) is because of the width of the insulated rail joint and the contact surface area of the wheel on the rail. The width of the insulated rail joint is greater than the contact surface area of the wheel so there cannot be a short. Just make sure you have good plastic spacers between the rail joints. [This message has been edited by ncng (edited 21 September 2000).]
Come to think of it, these are the new reverse blocks that I am going to replace the MRC ones with. I went and checked our latest order from Tony and it has a couple of these. My point about a reversing a train longer than a reverse loop is that if you reverse from and back onto a single main, your loco will hit the end of the train! We also have a wye, and it is by no means big enough to run the entire train on one leg, and we have no problems with shorting. ------------------ Corey Lynch Pres - Rensselaer Model RR Society NEB&W RR http://www.rpi.edu/~lynchc/Railfanning/railfanning.htm - My Site http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/ - NEB&W
