Model Railroading > DCC control

I am about to start my 4Th. layout in 65 years. would like to install dcc. I only know old school block switches.

I have Atlas F7'S and other cab units. How hard is it to install receives in loco's? How do I work with such small wires?
Should I pay someone to do the work?

Also, how do I go about selecting a DCC unit? sooo many advertisements. Help.

I went through a similar problem several years ago. I'm "electrically impaired" so I never got very goot at block wiring. Once I went to DCC a whole new world of control opened up! I can run multiple trains on the same mainline, or I can run one mainline and be switching on the other, all without special wiring. It has made running trains a real hoot! Last weekend we ran as part of a display and even my grandson was doing it right. Yes, it's more expensive and it takes time to learn (I STILL have a LOT to learn about DCC). You can get trains up and running as you learn. The ability to have sound and control the sound is really fun also. You don't have to have every engine equipped with sound, the "silent" ones run just fine. In fact on a modest sized layout the sound can get to be too much after a while.

As far as suggestions for a system - each device has its lovers and haters. Personally, I have learned on a Digitraxx "Zephyr" units. The price was right, the system made sense to my little brain and the local club had voted to go with DigitraXX so I wanted to have some commonality (I wanted to learn ONE system for both purposes). There are websites and videos that offer a whole bunch of good information from wiring it in to programming your equipment. I subscribed to Model Railroader Video Plus and Dana Kawala has run a series of videos on basic locomtive programming that helped me a lot.

As far as converting the locomotives, most models built/imported over the last few years have a socket on their light board that accepts a decoder. Fortunately the NMRA got manufacturers to agree to certain standard parts and such, so that many decoders drop right into the locos. I was surprised that some older Kato locos in my HO fleet all had the connector on their boards.

Good luck with your process and I hope you enjoy DCC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/14 12:08 by binder001.

I think all the systems are pretty equal overall, it's mostly a matter of sizing. I went with what many of my friends used because I could ask them (many) questions and get their opinions on things. If there is a club or a few larger layouts in the immediate area, or a shop, you can stop in and ask for advice to work with.


In terms of sizing, many "starter" sets have a limit on the number of simultaneous units (for instance my digitrax zephyr is 10), so think about how many operating units you want at a time.

For wiring, if you have ever fixed wires under the hood, dcc is about the same. There are plenty of great tutorials online. Invest in a good desk lamp and some decent magnifying lenses can help tremendously.

The layout wiring will be so simple it will be done in little time. Reverse loops and wye tracks will require a bit of extra effort but are no more complex than the old block wiring solutions.

Both Digitrax and NCE make drop in decoders for the Atlas GP7 units. There are two truck connections on each end and two motor connections to make it run. Lighting might take longer.

You can buy Atlas Silver locos which have decoders installed at the factory if you want a head start in running on a layout. Then you can retrofit the fleet as you gain experience and confidence.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

Thanks to all. Can I run multiple units in one train? Then run them separate?

u34ch Wrote:
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> Thanks to all. Can I run multiple units in one
> train? Then run them separate?


YES! And it is fun.

Uncle Joe

Atlas never made F7 units in HO but they did some F9s in O scale. So are you building an O layout or an HO layout with Atlas FP7 units?

Unfortunately neither of these locomotives have plug in decoders. One of the Digitrax or NCE drop in decoders should give a good 6 wire hook up. Look for the NCE DA-SR or Digitrax DH163AO. If we are talking O scale then you will need to use a hard wired install.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/14 09:50 by fbe.

Take a look at RailPro by Ring Engineering - It's the future in Train control - DCC is on it's last leg - been around for 30 years - things change !

photobob Wrote:
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> Take a look at RailPro by Ring Engineering - It's
> the future in Train control - DCC is on it's last
> leg - been around for 30 years - things change !


http://www.ringengineering.com/RailPro.htm