my train won't work...

[rains train]

also, could you give me the exact location to buy a biginning decoder thing, i plan on buying a DCC ready train 

[Guilford Guy]

http://www.tonystrains.com/products/img/showimage.html?Digitrax%20DN163PS|dtx|1|1|mdec_dn163ps.jpg
http://www.tonystrains.com/products/img/showimage.html?Digitrax%20DN143IP|dtx|1|1|mdec_dn143ip.jpg

[rains train]

so those are some good beginner ones..?

[Guilford Guy]

With most DCC read locos you jsut plug these in and it will be equipped.

[rains train]

so it's a controller, correct..? just making sure, absolutely sure.

[Guilford Guy]

More like a computer chip. You need to buy a system. The system sends messages through the track to the decoder which decodes the messages and tells the locomotive what to do, like turn on/off its lights or move forward or back etc.

[brokemoto]

I do not know much about the more modern prototype models about which you are asking.  I prefer steam and will not operate any diseasel whose prototype is newer than a torpedo boat GP-9.

I do not use DCC, so I can not comment much about it, but it looks like someone who knows about it has entered the ring.

The Atlas and Kato power are generally good.  I do not own any of the more modern prototpyes, but I can state that their first generation prototypes are pretty good.  B-mann sells some good power, as well.

Be aware that many of the modern prototypes are larger, six axle units.  Whiile they may go around a nine and three quarter curve, they will have problems.  The frequency of the problems depends on many variables, but even under the best of conditions, larger power tends to prefer broader curves and switches.  Further, larger power can look silly going around a nine and three quarter curve.   If you like diesels, you might want to stick to four axle power.

If you are really pressed for space and like steam, you might want to consider nineteenth century equipment.  Athearn sells some very nice 1880s locomotives in two wheel arrangements, a 2-8-0 and a 2-6-0.  Atlas sells an 1870s 2-6-0, as well.  B-mann sells an 1860s/1870s 4-4-0 in its Standard Line.  If you will spend the time to break it in, it is not that bad a locomotive, but it does tend to wobble and bob as it goes down the track.  If you take out the wobble and bob, it is actually a better performing locomotive than the Atlas 2-6-0. 

Keep in mind that if you run the Atlas or B-mann, they are short wheelbase locomotives that will stall on plastic frog switches if you run them at prototypical speeds.  They require metal frog switches to operate at the proper speeds; said switches require additional wiring.  The Athearns are allright on plastic frog switches.  The Athearns are copies of the old MDC line, so if you see those out there, they are good, too.

B-mann sells a limited line of nineteenth century rolling stock, Athearn a more extensive line.  Atlas does not sell any nineteenth century rolling stock.  MDC had a rather extensive line of nineteenth century rolling stock, much of it is still out there as NOS.

DCC is difficult if you go with the nineteenth century; there just ain't much space.  There is a guy on the various forums who goes by the moniker 'powersteamguy' who has gotten decoders into N scale nineteenth century steam, but he is a retired dentist, so he has spent his life working in tighter places than the tender and/or cab of an N scale nineteenth century steam locomotive.

One more thing on the Athearn/MDC and B-mann nineteenth century steam:  the motors are in the tender and are connected to the locomotive by a drive shaft.  Some consider that unsightyly, but it does not bother me.  In HO's earlier days, much of the smaller power also had the motor in the tender and a drive shaft to the locomotive.  IHC took that one step further in HO when it sold an 1880s 2-8-0 that had the entire mechanism in a tender packed with weight that simply pushed around the locomotive.  The thing had better pulling power than did the prototype.

[rains train]

couldn't i just get a b-mann dcc ready engine and a b-mann EZ DCC system controller?

[fieromike]

couldn't i just get a b-mann dcc ready engine and a b-mann EZ DCC system controller?

You can get a Bachmann controller and a Bachmann DCC ready engine, but you will also need  the proper decoder for the engine.  One of the most popular (and inexpensive) decoders for n scale engines is the Digitrax DZ123.  It is also one of the smallest commonly available decoders, however you will need someone with good soldering skills to install it in your engine.  To my knowledge, Bachmann does not sell an N scale engine that is "plug & play", meaning that you just plug the decoder into a circuit board on the engine.

Mike

[brokemoto]

The USRA heavy mountain that B-personn has announced is supposed to have a 'smart' decoder that will read if it is being fed DC or code.  I suspect that a 4-8-2 would have trouble with his nine and three quarter curves.

Somone posted that these smart decoders are pretty good, but it does take an extra bit of throttle to get the locomotive going on DC and you must scale it back as the decoder heats.  No big deal, most of my Kato locomotives work that way anyhow.

The easiest DCC conversion used to be the E-R sharks.  They had an excellent design.  If you wanted to convert them, you uscrewed two screws, took out the circuit board, put in an identical decoder, programmed it and ran your locomotives.  Unfortunately, no one manufactures that decoder anymore.  Boohoo for you DCC boys who like first generation power.

B-mann may have announced a diseasel that is supposed to emerge about the same time that the 4-8-2 is, but I can not be sure.  I guess that if one is going to appear, it must be a modern prototpye, therefore I would not be interested, anyhow.

[harryo]

Send it back to bachmann they have a life time warranty.If it's that new I myself wouldn't try all that stuff although the guys are trying to help you out.

[rains train]

ugh...i have no idea how to install a decoder...i just want an engine with DCC that i don't have to mess with, cuz i'll end up breaking it..

[Franz T]

Atlas sells locomotives with decoders already installed....

[rains train]

sweet, when i last tinkered with my broken loco, i think i figured out how to change the couplers, so i'll just buy an atlass, will a b-mann EZ DCC system controller work with it then?

[Guilford Guy]

It will but if you plan to continue in the hobby, don't wase money on an ez command. I know this is a Bachmann board but an EZ command can only do so much, and can only program loco numbers. Buy a digitraxx or lenz sys instead.