Very basic questions

[Bealman]

As you say, still looks good, doesn't it! 

[louder]

That does look good! Nice overhead work as well, it looks fantastic.

Well I've ordered the DC controller so I just need to get my hands on some track. I might pop to the model shop tomorrow and get the track from there seeing as they were so helpful.

[Ian Bowden]

Ok so, avoid set track at all costs. Good to know! In the setrack book there is a rather track heavy shunting yard shelf layout I was tempted to adapt for practice but I shall avoid it. (You can find that here http://imgur.com/TiZHzqS )

My first train is is the DB Class E41, BR 141 262-6 by Arnold in a beautiful cream and blue, really nice looking. It's not quite the DB Class 103 E 03 (look at me using train names!) in cream and red I was hovering over on eBay, nor E44 that peaked my interest in the German stuff but it's got a lovely shape to it. The carriage picked up today is a DB one, the box says Fleischmann 8163 K, not sure what the translates to (I still no nothing about carriages or rolling stock other than travelling on merseyrail  ) but its in that nice cream and red colour way and it has lots of square windows. There was a cheaper one with a brighter silver roof and much larger windows but that bright silver roof really turned me off. Sadly the loco won't arrive for another week or so as the guy hasn't posted yet and its 2nd class. There was a Class 103 in the store today but £75 seems like too much at the moment.

I do need to track down some matching carriages for my loco though, that would be nice.

So with the unitrack, what DC controller am I best looking at getting? I assumed I could just use the channel 10 on the Bachmann controller like it says on their tutorial.

Don't use channel 10 on Bachman controller for DC. Even though it is the instruction manual Bachman will not accept any liability for the damage done. In DCC the track is fed by 14 volt AC not 12 volt DC. A rather expensive fizzing noise will be heard from the loco if you do.
If you are looking for a simple quick oval of track try the Kato starter sets, they have a 12 volt power supply and the Kato point controller fits directly to studs on the controller. You will get a quick to set up test track. For DCC you can just swap the controller for any DCC controller.

[Railwaygun]

Would a controller like this work with the Kato track? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roco-10788-240v-12v-DC-Controller-adaptor-Hornby-R8250-alternative-NEW-UNBOXED-/292040102158?hash=item43fef2510e:g:DLQAAOSwa~BYTR6n


this should be fine with the Kato track. you will have to cut off the plug ( leave 2" of cable on the plug so that you can reconnect it if necessary!) to connect to the roco controller.

[louder]

Thank you

My first locomotive arrived today! Very excited to open it. Just need the controller to arrive and pick up some track. Sadly my local store doesn't have any Kato stuff so I guess I need to pick it up online!

Update: Track ordered!

Does it matter which side of the track I set to be positive and which to be negative from the controller?

[ntpntpntp]

Does it matter which side of the track I set to be positive and which to be negative from the controller?

For DC it only matters with regard to the direction you expect the loco to move when you turn the controller knob. I think for the small scales usually the right rail is positive when looking forward  (LGB G scale is the opposite!)   If the loco doesn't go the way you want, swap the two wires over - it's no big deal!

[edit]
I expect most folk arrange things so that the direction switch left/right or the control knob left/right matches the way the loco moves when it's on the track nearest to the operator.   Funnily enough I do the opposite, mine is set to match the direction the loco moves on the scenic part of my layout which is further away, and when in the fiddleyard directly in front of me the direction of movement is opposite to the switch! [/edit]

For DCC it doesn't matter because it's the decoder which is controlling the direction of travel.  With DCC you can turn the loco 180 degrees and it will still go forward or backward according to how it's driven.  With DCC you'll soon find you need to stop thinking "left or right" and always think "foward or backward"!

With either DC or DCC, it's important to make sure all the power feeds are arranged with the same rail connected to the same controller terminal or you'll get a short circuit.

[louder]

Thank you My DC controller arrived today so I am just hoping the track arrives tomorrow and I will be able to have my little loco drive along My girlfriend caught me pushing the carriage along the little bit of flex track I already have haha.