With the impending demise of my current layout due to the installation of a child's bedroom, I am currently designing a new layout. This one will be kind of experimental ... trying out new things prior to an anticipated move in about 5 years. I'm designing it to use the Aristocraft Train Engineer again, but I'm seriously considering trying DCC instead. Although the layout is 13 x 26, I'll only have 3 engines ... all HO MDC old timers. The ONLY reason I'm considering DCC is the inclusion of sound, because I'm happy with the TE. Here's the problem ... I can easily fit a Soundtraxx DSD 100LC in the Mogul and Consolidation, but the 2-truck shay is another matter entirely. It looks like the DSD 090LC will fit with some work, but the stall current is 0.90 Amps, while MDC says the stall on the shay is 1.0. Amazingly, there's room in the back of the tender area for a speaker ... it's the decoder length that's the problem. Is this a deal-killer, or does anyone have any advise/ideas? Since I'm going from 40+ engines down to 3, and the 3 are DCC-ready, this seems like the perfect opportunity to get my feet wet.
I looked at Tony's web site and saw DSD90 rated at 1 amp, same as stall current for the MDC unit. While I'm sure others will feel differently, I would go for it. What I would check is if the loco gets stalled pulling a string of cars upgrade, will it spin its wheels? If so, I feel fairly confident you won't have a problem. Just don't weight the unit to the point it won't spin its wheels. It is when the unit can't spin its wheels for a few seconds that you could have a problem. Gary
