Quote from: Jack9465 on September 12, 2012, 07:19:46 PM

QuoteI have some Gaugemaster track cleaners but guess these are a no no with DCC.

BIG No No! They will damage your chips in any thing that's left on the track.

Thought so.
Does that mean that there are no track cleaners for use with DCC?

Quote from: Steve.T on September 12, 2012, 07:23:55 PM

Quote from: Jack9465 on September 12, 2012, 07:19:46 PM

QuoteI have some Gaugemaster track cleaners but guess these are a no no with DCC.

BIG No No! They will damage your chips in any thing that's left on the track.

Thought so.
Does that mean that there are no track cleaners for use with DCC?

There is, probably the best one - Mk1 elbow grease and a cloth that has something like IPA (not the beer) on it. Woodland Scenics make a track maintenance system but I don't know what it's like.

Quote from: Jack9465 on September 12, 2012, 07:39:12 PM
There is, probably the best one - Mk1 elbow grease and a cloth that has something like IPA (not the beer) on it. Woodland Scenics make a track maintenance system but I don't know what it's like.

IPA certainly more alchoholic than the beer.

For cleaning the track  DC or   DCC   go  for the CMX   cleaner filled with IPA  pushed not  pulled round the layout  gives superb results  everytime   

You beat me to it, Nick ...

But it does have a minor disadvantage - the price is more than some DCC systems 

I thought someone posted somewhere that it gave problems with getting past platforms because it was a bit too wide.

Allan

Quote from: macwales on September 12, 2012, 11:09:53 AM
Hi

I know next to nothing about DCC but I was in  the same situation as you 12 months ago with two DC twin track controllers - one with feedback for better slow running. As I had many old (up to 30 years) locos (Minitrix, Farish and Peco) I still wished to run and which at that time I thought were impossible to convert to contain a DCC chip I elected to stick to DC. Also, I had a large amount of Peco insufrog points that are not really suited to DCC and would be expensive to replace.

However I soon suspected that my feedback controller was not liked at all by the more moderen electronics in Farish and Dapol locos and lightbars and I stopped using it following many problems. I then bought a dedicated n gauge Vortrax 4 x track DC controller and all my electronic problems went away never to return.

If I knew 12 months ago what I know now I may have gone for DCC this time.
If I had I would have had better points and coaches would remain lit on trains waiting at stations. Also I would have had much better control over parked locos in sidings and maybe much less wiring and switches. But of course I wouild have had to buy a lot of points and the DCC system so now would have less engines and new stock.

What type of DC controllers do you have? If they are feedback type then I suggest you get some expert advice on whether they are suitable for modern DCC ready locos and lightbars etc.   

As for advice on DCC I will leave that to the other experts on here.

Cheers

Mac

Can you not use insulfrog points with Dcc?  i have a layout built and was thinking of converting over to DCC

Thanks

Carl

You can use insulfrog points but you run the risk of shorts from the wheels on the exit from the frog where the "V" is. You might also get poor slow speed running over the points .
I pulled all the insulfrog points I had laid out and went to electrofrog,that stopped all the arcing as my Dapol Class 26 went over the points,it also meant that I had no problem slow running over the points.

I haven't wired the frogs to a switch,I just fitted insulated joiners to the frog and I rely on blade contact just like the insulfrog points.

Allan

Just read an article in a 2006 Railway Modeller Mag where they wrote " don't know why anyone would want to build a new layout and not use DCC 

The next two months editions readers letters were mainly against that idea and as usual it finished up like a dog chasing its tail, one contributor pointed out that Radio, Records, Videos and many other things have gone Digital so why not model railways.

I myself would not get involved in such a pointless debate as to me its to each his/her own to decide how they run their trains.

For me personally not everything that went digital is great, in my area I cannot receive digital radio but poor old AM comes in loud and strong, I listen to FM on my Digital Radio, it is also pretty unanimous among HiFi addicts think the old vinyl sounds better than CDs.

Back to railways I am not in the least bit interested in DCC as visiting mates layouts that went DCC they seemed to spend a load of time programing the things and different brands of sound chips each needed a different button to make the horn work, I can do without that messing around as I just want to run trains not program them, for those that do run DCC I take my hat off to you because you have more patience than me so good luck to you.

Quote from: oldrailbug on September 17, 2012, 09:54:18 AM
DCC they seemed to spend a load of time programing the things and different brands of sound chips each needed a different button to make the horn work

That configurable. Dunno about down under but the usual UK default is 2 for horn and you can just move the function assignments around (as with the lights).

Mind you I run with JMRI so my controller doesn't say "2" it says "Horn" if the loco has one, likewise the buttons are properly labelled per loco for things like "doors closing" and "flange squeal"

DCC is very much a driving the train thing rather than a 'playing God(ess) in the signal box' thing.

Alan

Quote from: oldrailbug on September 17, 2012, 09:54:18 AM
Back to railways I am not in the least bit interested in DCC as visiting mates layouts that went DCC they seemed to spend a load of time programing the things and different brands of sound chips each needed a different button to make the horn work, I can do without that messing around as I just want to run trains not program them, for those that do run DCC I take my hat off to you because you have more patience than me so good luck to you.

I must admit this is one of the things that I am worried about if I do go DCC.
I also liked to use electronic track cleaners which of course I can't if DCC.

But as you say it is up the the individual and as yet have not made up my mind.
Thought I would build the MERG DCC controller and try it out first on a test track as I have absolutely no experience with DCC to make my mind up.

But so glad for all the input so far on this thread.

My mates model American HO and buy several different brands of locomotives or fit various brands of chips, I know that Proto 2000 locos use different numbers assigned to their locos and there are a couple of others as well, certain other brands of locos short out the whole system when placed on the track, I know one mate had to sell locos that did this,

For my feeble brain life is complicated enough without getting involved with DCC  all I can say is thank goodness there is still DC, having said that its each to their own 

Quote from: Steve.T on September 17, 2012, 11:49:39 AM
I must admit this is one of the things that I am worried about if I do go DCC.
I also liked to use electronic track cleaners which of course I can't if DCC.

It's actually much less of an issue than you'd expect because you've got a continuous 16v AC or a bit higher between the rails and the wheels so its a fair bit less vulnerable to the kind of dirt a track cleaner fixes.

Back to 3 rail everyone