Having used DCC in Canada for a few years I have to say that its the only way forward, the more manufacturers build in, the cheaper things will get and the more features we'll see. 

That said, I'm now exclusively DC .. why on earth would I do that.. its all about time and money.  I don't have enough of either to convert even a fraction of my locos to DCC and I want to run them and have fun not agonize about my limited train budget.  I think it comes down to deciding what you enjoy most.  People seemed to have a whole lot of fun before DCC came along and so I guess I'm just staying with them and focusing my time on building the layout and running trains.

There is no doubt that we'll see DCC become the standard release with more and more features and thats fantastic, I just wish I had a magic wand to convert everything!

Graham

I'm going to give the simplest answer i can,

I can bring a train into the reception siding decouple and then have a shunter collect them from the same line without carefully placed IRJ's or trickery. that is enough for me 

Quote from: MikeDunn on May 08, 2013, 09:07:40 AM
How much more would you pay for it !!!  Other people may shun such locos because of all the extra frippery ...

Indeed. Peco's Collett 0-6-0 was the first N gauge loco to be offered DCC-fitted as standard and suffered from poor sales because it was perceived as too expensive by those who did not want to pay extra for the DCC.

DCC is great, no doubt - but the cost is what puts most off. I have used DCC many times and it's very easy to use once you get used to it. The reason I don't use it now is purely down to the cost, I struggle to buy loco's these days let alone DCC chips to match as well...

If I had the money, all my loco's would be DCC sound and the layout controlled via my smart phone - but as things stand, my trusty Gaugemaster has plenty of work for the foreseeable future.

answer to question: Yes

 

Brief and to-the-point


Paul

Expensive? Yes. But then, you can gradually move over to DCC. You don't have to do it all at once. Fortunately, model railroading is a l-o-n-g term experience. I don't think that I will ever be finished with mine - there is always something new or something that has to be changed or added.

A very good question and as said at the beginning, every one will have a different opinion depending on their circumstances.

Much depends on your starting point.  If you are new to railway modelling, new to N gauge, or coming back to this aspect of the hobby after a period then you are likely to buy recent products.  Personally, I started modelling in N gauge ( and therefore collecting locos) between 30 and 35 years ago.  DCC was barely a concept for the dabblers in MERG then.  I also tended to buy secondhand - i.e. older - locos because of cost.  These days I can manage buying new locos which will be DCC ready or better but I have a reluctance to throw away my old locos.  To me - and only me - paying £200 to replace a Black 5 with another Black 5 with the difference being DCC Sound - well, I'm gonna be slow to get my wallet out.  As for Brittania and Evening Star from Minitrix . . .   My DC locos generally run pretty well, I dont have a problem with putting in isolating sections except for the quantity of them.  But I would love sound - I have a couple of 00 locos with sound and I'm sold.

I am a convinced fan of DCC - I want to store lots of locos on my layout - I really should just build an MPD - but all those sections?  I don't know - no problem with DCC.  And I want to watch trains go by, not be changing switches all the time.

One other comment I wish to make an observation about. 

"But then, you can gradually move over to DCC. You don't have to do it all at once."

Well, yes and no.  To even try DCC, you need a DCC Controller.  And whilst you *can* buy a cheap controller to start with, its capabilities are very limited.  So, it may be usable as a slave to a bigger one later.  And when do you need your controller?  As soon as you want to run a DCC loco.  But not all chips will allow you to run DC.

To me, going DCC from the start is practicable and possibly worthwhile.  Changing from DC to DCC - well, unless you have a lot of money to play with, the break-even point is a lot higher.  A good DC Cab Control layout is easy to change to DCC, the stock is another matter.

And one final nail in the coffin.  Yes, you can add all these clever tricks to your DCC-chipped locomotives - but each one is going to cost you extra.  Hang on, the £200 for a loco I mentioned earlier is way below what it could cost if you want to have independant running lights, uncoupling/coupling on demand from your console, real steam from the funnel, all the sound effects and whatever other gimmicks someone can dream up.

Sound can add so much to a model railway, never mind these other things.  Adding more detail is likely to become unlikely, so this may well be the way manufacturers will go.  But VFM?  Not for my money.  Most of the tricks can be available now - but would you really pay £400 for a loco to do this 'out of the box'?  Food for thought - or food on the table?

Just my idle musings.  Each will pay their money and take their choice.

John

IF I was starting fron square one again I might consider DCC but to convert/upgrade everything I have now would be a massive task that I cant see being worth the cost involved

Hi,

I moved to DCC to be able to drive my trains rather than drive the track.  I am not terribly interested in further controls such as sound and additional lighting in cabs etc.

I have mulled over this question of value for money for some time and find that my costs as a DCC user has increased by some 60%-75% in the last 3 to 4 years.   

This is an unacceptable burden to N gauge modellers already reeling from the "necessary" controls in the global economy. 

When analysing my costs I find that the increases are not due to DCC equipment - decoders - controllers etc., as in most cases we are paying less for the aforesaid DCC equipment now than it was when I first embraced DCC some 5-6years ago. I can't speak for sound decoders and associated equipment.

It is of course the vast increase in the cost of locomotives and rolling stock from our main suppliers.  There has been an estimated (my calculations) 75+% increase in these items over the past few years.  In real terms this means that "going DCC" is in percentage terms cheaper than it has ever been, however no one would disagree that there is still a fair layout if you need to upgrade a large stable of locomotives.  I did mine little by little and of course all new locos are now DCC ready.

In my opinion the main problem with the increases in costs for our hobby is where does N Gauge go from here?  I myself am loathe to order new locomotives at the current prices and am even more selective than previously.   Prohibitive prices mean that there will be even less numbers of young people choosing model railways as their primary hobby.  Will N gauge model railways survive another 40-45 years or even 10 years?  Time will tell but I cannot see that the hobby can survive further rounds of increases in prices -  "The Golden Goose and all that".

Now to go back to the original question I would think that DCC is value for money compared to DC provided you can afford the initial outlay and the continuing increase in costs of the basic equipment - Locomotives, rolling stock and track etc.

Bill