should i start with the bachmann digital commander set or something else?

[thetycoman]

Hi my name is Kristofer and im new to this website and i want to know if getting the bachmann digital commander train set is a good idea because i plain on starting a new HO scale layout after i tore out my old layout because i just did like it so i have about 6 bachmann engines 2 Spectrum and some RTR locos so share your opions thoughts ideas on anything that can help me out and i have about 6 more mix life-like ahm-and athearn RTR locos so please give me a shout if you have any ideas
THANKS, KRISTOFER ???javascript:replaceText('%20???',%20document.forms.postmodify.message);

[ABC]

The digital commander set is not best choice for you, unless you plan on converting all of your locos to DCC as the DCC controller included can only run 1 analog DC loco at a time. Additionally, although it can run 1 loco if you leave the loco sitting on live track for more than a few minutes, you could damage or overheat your loco causing it to melt or not function any longer. Some older locos are not ideal for DCC conversion; mainly because the motor brushes are not isolated (split frame design) and a lack of space due to the large lead weights.
I recommend not buying a train set, but instead buying several high quality Spectrum items that fit what you want to do. Also, avoid purchasing Life-Like, Tyco, AHM, and other rolling stock with talgo trucks and horn hook couplers. Look for metal wheels on your cars with body mounted metal knuckle couplers like Kadee #5s or Proto-max. A good starting point are Bachmann silver series cars with metal wheel sets, you can use the E-Z Mate Mark II couplers if you will have short trains consisting of 4 to 6 cars, otherwise replace them with Kadee #5s or Kadee #148's for more reliability.

[Doneldon]

tyco guy-

You'll have to decide for yourself which DCC system to buy but people on this web site can offer a lot of information which should help you do that.  Even I'll give it a shot.

The Bachmann digital commander sets are an excellent buy.  Sometimes they even go for under $100.  For that, you get the EZ Command DCC system, a better-than-typical train set (most of the equipment in train sets is bottom of the line quality but that's not true for these Bach sets), a DCC-equipped loco, and the track to run it all on.  That's a helluva deal and I personally endorse the product, if it fits a modeler's needs.  But there are a few caveats you should consider:

First, the EZ Command controller DCC from Bachmann has limited reach.  For example, you can never have more then 10 power units (locos, subways, RDCs, etc.) on the layout at a time.  It sounds like you already have more than that, plus you'll get another DCC loco with the set.  This means you'll have to put motor units on and off the layout and make certain as you do so that no two locos on the layout have the same address.  And this doesn't mean the cab number or something; it means that no two units can be operated by the same one of the ten buttons on the EZ DCC controller.

Second, the EZ DCC controller has very limited programming ability and no ability to use feedback from the decoders in your locos.  You probably won't be bothered that this command station can only access ten features on your locos (lighting effects, sounds, etc.), but you will be if you have/get locos with sophisticated electronics.  And things are becoming more elaborate almost daily.

Third, the Bachmann EZ Command DCC system only puts out a nominal one amp (by all accounts a little more than that but still the least of any system on the market), so you'll be able to run only three locomotives simultaneously, at most.  Older locos which use more juice, track-powered lights and, especially, loco sound may limit you to just two or even a single loco at a time.  This pretty much defeats the whole point of DCC.

So.  Does this mean the EZ Command system is a piece of junk which you can't use?  No, not at all.  It is an excellent product for someone who needs what it provides.  I'm using one on a layout I built for my ten-year-old grandson and it's perfect for him.  He doesn't understand the complexities of electricity or electronics, he only has nine locos, his train lights do not need track power, his layout is a small one, and he'd almost certainly have a crash if he could get more than three trains going at the same time.  But he is at the limit of his set.  Yes, I also gave him an extra DCC controller so he can have a friend over to operate trains with him, but the rest of the limitations apply.  If he wants to go further, and the layout is designed so that he can easily expand it, he'll have to go to another system.  Perhaps that would be the Bachmann Dynamis system which has greater capacity and many more available features than his EZ Command system.  Or maybe he'll go to another manufacturer whose system is even more versatile and expandable.  Or maybe he'll get to his teens, discover girls, learn from his friends that trains aren't cool and never touch another model train in his life.  I don't know.

I guess the point of this dissertation is that the EZ Command system is an excellent introduction to DCC but it has serious limitations and probably will be insufficient for the needs of serious modelers.  But it's great to learn on.

I'm sure others will have their own input on your question, some very enthusiastic and others much less so.  Try to use all of our information to make your decision because only you know what you need or want.  Nobody's viewpoint is better than anybody else's here, including mine.  

So.  Take it all in, ponder the advantages (simplicity, cost) and disadvantages (limitations) and decide for yourself what to spend your money on.  Good luck with that task.  Oh, yeah.  And don't be a stranger on this board.  It's one of the best model railroading information sources you will find anywhere.  Plus, and I know I'm speaking for other Board participants as well, we'll all look for your input and progress, too.
                                                                                                  -- D

[Joe323]

When I bought my EZ Command it was and continues to be for a small layout that could not handle more than 10 locos no matter what.  I have 3 DCC equipped  that I use regularly, one analog 2-6-2 Prairie for Xmas and use at my upcoming wedding and the Walthers subway set, that is DCC ready so I'll probably equip it soon (BTW any suggestions on which decoder for this?)

Point is based on what you have described you will need more addresses and power than EZ Command offers.  Start out with EZ Command if you want the sets seem like a good value, but do not be surprised when you need a more robust system.  I don't but that's because my layout expansion is on hold till after my honeymoon next year.

[Jim Banner]

thetycoman, I am not sure if you know the difference between standard dc power and DCC power.  You mentioned the Digital Commander set, which we old timers know is a DCC based set, but you have not said another word about DCC.  I am going to assume for the moment that you do NOT know the difference and proceed on that basis.  No offense intended if my assumption is wrong.

Digital Command Control, or DCC is a method of controlling trains.  It allows you to control several locomotives at the same time, even if they are on the same track.  But to do this, each locomotive has to have a decoder built into it.  The purpose of a decoder is to receive messages (commands) from the DCC control system and decide whether they apply to that decoder and the locomotive it is built into.  If not, the decoder ignores the messages and the locomotive keeps running in the same direction at the same speed.  If the messages are addressed to that decoder, the decoder figures out what it is being asked to do and does it.  This may be to speed up, slow down, or stop the locomotive or put it in reverse or turn the lights on and off.  In some decoders, the commands can even tell the decoder to make various sounds.

In a Digital Commander set, the locomotive comes with a decoder already built in and an E-Z Command DCC Controller to let you send messages to as many as 10 locomotives.  One of these locomotives (and only one) can be a regular dc locomotive without any decoder in it.  Actually, I should say only one dc locomotive at a time.  You can certainly have a drawer full of dc locomotives and switch which one of them is on the track, as long as there is only one on the track at a time.  Decoders can be installed in older locomotives but I would suggest that if you do that, you should get some very detailled instructions on how to do it and you would probably want to install decoders only in you best running locomotives.  As a rule of thumb, you should not bother to install decoders in locomotives worth less than the price of the decoders.  If some of your collection of locomotives already have decoders in them, that is great, but I am going to guess they do not.

If you want to get into DCC and run several trains at the same time, the only other alternative is to buy new locomotives with decoders built in.  That is nice if you can afford it.  Many of us old timers who have built up a large fleet of locomotives over the years have had enough trouble affording decoders to put in them, let alone replacing them with new locomotives.  The upside of all this is that once you learn how to install your own decoders, you will be able to take advantage of the good deals on excellent used locomotives being sold by owners have not bothered to learn to install their own.

Now if all that seems too overwhelming, you could buy the set and convert or buy one other locomotive with a decoder.  That would let you run three trains all at one time (including the one with a dc locomotive.)  That would be a good place to start and when you got tired on those three, you could still change the one dc locomotive for a different one.

Lots to luck, thetycoman.  Keep in touch and let us know how you do with your model railroading.

Jim