[Ced]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the Forum and new to the world of model railways (not counting the basic oval on the carpet many years ago at Christmas). So, I'm building a small OO gauge layout which I'm hoping will look and feel like an imaginary branch line, based on Era 3 GWR. I've watched plenty of You Tube videos and asked questions at my local model railway shop to give me some ideas and inspiration. I gave considerable thought to the layout, which was planned over a period of weeks, during which time I also made the decision to use DCC, rather than analogue control.
The track is now down, DCC wiring in place for the running of locos but I'll be installing analogue wiring for turnout operation - adding all this to the DCC controller seemed a step too far. This is still to complete (although motors have been fitted beneath the base board).
I'm hoping to learn a lot from everyone on the forum to avoid time consuming/expensive mistakes.

Ced

 

[dwb]

Welcome to the forum.
Sounds like your making great progress so far.

David

 

[Ced]

Thanks David,
I'm getting on with it but dealing with the locos stalling on Peco insulfrog points. I've read some of the conversations so working through the various suggestions (with no capacitors in sight lol)

 

[Graham Plowman]

Nothing wrong with analogue wiring for turnout operation - many DCC users do it because DCC throttles are designed to mimic driving a loco, not a lever frame or panel!

 

[dwb]

many DCC users do it because DCC throttles are designed to mimic driving a loco, not a lever frame or panel!

If I didn't have a route control option on my DCC systems (ECOS and Roco) I wouldn't bother with DCC control of points either.

David

 

[Graham Plowman]

If I didn't have a route control option on my DCC systems (ECOS and Roco) I wouldn't bother with DCC control of points either.

David

Yes, very true.

Another perspective of this is that those of us who want prototypical route setting and interlocking do it using a computer because no DCC command stations do it properly.
Doing it with a computer actually provides multiple options, one being to have the computer control turnouts through the DCC system or to have it control them through a completely separate system such as the MERG RPC or CBus systems. On different layouts, I have done both, including writing the computer control software.