Model Railroading > DC loco on DCC rails question

Can you run an DC loco on a DCC layout? Just curious.
Thanks in advance.

Paul Liddiard
Spanish Fork, UT

NO
You must install a decoder! DCC is AC voltage, the decoder changes the AC to DC. If your DCC locomotive is programmed to run on DC it will.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/15 19:56 by kdrtrains.

My Digitrax Zephyr system had a setting where there was an address reserved to run a single DC loco... that said, I rarely used it, as I imagine it's not optimal for the motor and electronics. But, at least with the Digitrax Zephyr, it can be done as a last resort.

Use address 0 on some or most all systems,

MGB78610 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My Digitrax Zephyr system had a setting where
> there was an address reserved to run a single DC
> loco... that said, I rarely used it, as I imagine
> it's not optimal for the motor and electronics.
> But, at least with the Digitrax Zephyr, it can be
> done as a last resort.

I have the Zephyr and if you use address 0 you can control a DC loco (or group of locos).  But you can't run two DC locos independently.  The other side effect is that the DC motors hum because there is always power in the track.  So it works, and I'm using it for now because I'm slow getting decodes installed (dang work keeps getting in the way).  

Nathan

Yes. As stated above, most systems supply a DC average voltage on the rails for DC engines on channel 00. And as was stated, just like a DC layout, all DC engines run the same time and direction. It does this by creating a dead time between the DCC message packets and holding the rail voltages at levels that average out to a DC value. But it really is an unbalanced AC signal and that is why your motors buzz like mad. This will cause the motors to run warmer than normal, even getting warm while stopped, so I would not do it for hours on end. But for having a bit of fun, it is fine.

Scott Schifer
Torrance, CA
TinyTrains Website

FWIW, you cannot do this on NCE.
My old original MRC Prodigy DCC did allow loco "zero" but I'm not sure it was the best thing for a DC loco.

KA7008 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FWIW, you cannot do this on NCE.
> My old original MRC Prodigy DCC did allow loco
> "zero" but I'm not sure it was the best thing for
> a DC loco.

Do not let it set too long on the track without running it as the high frequncy DCC carrier being applied to the motor and can danage it buy causing it to overheat.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/15 23:04 by ATSF429.

I have an older System One / NCE System and they VERY defiantly said NOT TO RUN A DC LOCOMOTIVE ON A DCC SYSTEM, they said that irreversible damage would be done to the locomotive with either the motor over heating and having the armature shorting out or the magnets losing their magnetic pull. This is why when DCC first came out that System One / NCE were not "DCC Compliant". There was a way to hook a regular DC power pack up so that you could run a DC locomotive but they strongly recommended that you did not do this. A friend was running my two Bachmann On30 Shays on a Digitrax powered layout and killed both motors DEAD!. I don't blame him as Digitrax makes no mention of this situation and when I asked them why, their reply was "they were only following the NMRA standard and it was not their fault that my locomotives got damaged"

Andre

00 mode will destroy coreless motors in no time.

It's hard on can motors and electronics also.

If all you're running is old school Athearn jet motors, then by all means, have at it.

Kelley.