I was in a similar position to you Brian about a year ago. To attempt to answer those questions not already dealt with by Thunder:
The minimum you need is a 'command station' (which links to everything else and generates the data stream to control the trains), plus at least one set of controls (known as a cab) to drive them with. These two can be combined in one box, but on the more advanced systems the cab is a separate plug-in handset. Though the technology is different the basic configuration is similar to Zero 1.
With this setup you can control one train, but can leave several others running at a constant speed and take back control of them later, so for example two could be running round the up and down lines (assuming they are circuits!) while you shunt a third one in the goods yard. There is a display on each cab telling you which train it is controlling and various other information - some suppliers allow you to select and display trains by meaningful names rather than just the numbers used by the DCC system.
It is also possible to add more cabs so that several trains can be controlled simultaneously, but this may only be of interest to you if someone else is helping with the operating!
The rail resistance issues are similar to DC, though some people say the trains run better on DCC because full track voltage is present even at low train speeds. Lenz supplies a device known as the Power 1, which helps in this situation, but it is a bit pricey.
A good site for For a non-technical introduction to DCC is bromsgrovemodels.co.uk - although they sell some of the equipment mentioned the comments are quite even-handed and there are links to most of the other important DCC sites. Also worth a look is electricnose.co.uk. Steve Jones's opinions are sometimes expressed forcefully but he knows his stuff particularly the potential of using DCC in a more advanced way. [this para edited]
For books the Ames, Loiseaux and Freiburg one is often recommended, gives a good basic grounding but it was written several years back so does not cover recent developments. The only video/DVD I can think of is offered by Model Rail magazine - I haven't seen it myself but it was said on another forum that it's basically a sales pitch by a single supplier. Finally I find forums like this one to be extremely useful too!
The minimum you need is a 'command station' (which links to everything else and generates the data stream to control the trains), plus at least one set of controls (known as a cab) to drive them with. These two can be combined in one box, but on the more advanced systems the cab is a separate plug-in handset. Though the technology is different the basic configuration is similar to Zero 1.
With this setup you can control one train, but can leave several others running at a constant speed and take back control of them later, so for example two could be running round the up and down lines (assuming they are circuits!) while you shunt a third one in the goods yard. There is a display on each cab telling you which train it is controlling and various other information - some suppliers allow you to select and display trains by meaningful names rather than just the numbers used by the DCC system.
It is also possible to add more cabs so that several trains can be controlled simultaneously, but this may only be of interest to you if someone else is helping with the operating!
The rail resistance issues are similar to DC, though some people say the trains run better on DCC because full track voltage is present even at low train speeds. Lenz supplies a device known as the Power 1, which helps in this situation, but it is a bit pricey.
A good site for For a non-technical introduction to DCC is bromsgrovemodels.co.uk - although they sell some of the equipment mentioned the comments are quite even-handed and there are links to most of the other important DCC sites. Also worth a look is electricnose.co.uk. Steve Jones's opinions are sometimes expressed forcefully but he knows his stuff particularly the potential of using DCC in a more advanced way. [this para edited]
For books the Ames, Loiseaux and Freiburg one is often recommended, gives a good basic grounding but it was written several years back so does not cover recent developments. The only video/DVD I can think of is offered by Model Rail magazine - I haven't seen it myself but it was said on another forum that it's basically a sales pitch by a single supplier. Finally I find forums like this one to be extremely useful too!
