Figure-8 reverse loop in DC

[H5subway]

Hello everyone, first time posting here. I am fairly new (6 months) to the hobby. I currently have 2 trainsets: Bachmann's Rail Chief and an MTH R21 subway set (4 cars). I built my track layout as shown here:



This layout is an extension of the well-known layout consisting of an oval superimposed with a figure-8 reverse loop. In order to avoid shorting out the layout, I've isolated the crossover (green) from the main line (gray), so right now trains can only run on the main line. I'm using the DC controller that came with the Rail Chief set, and run one train at a time (either the locomotive or the powered subway car is removed from the track, and any unused non-powered cars are parked inside the crossover). I recently got Bachmann's auto-reverse module (#44912), which according to some sources "eliminates the complicated wiring previously needed to operate analog (DC) reverse-loop track layouts" (https://www.walthers.com/automatic-reversing-loop-module-e-z-command), despite being labelled DCC. The wires that came with it have plastic connectors on both ends, designed to connect to track #44597 which I don't have. So instead I tried connecting the module to some unused wires that originally came with the turnouts:



I connected the turnout at the main line to the Input end of the module, and connected the Output end to the crossover, but that didn't work (the indicator light on the module switched on, but the train would still stop at the end of the turnout).

My main questions are:

1) Can module #44912 be used on a DC layout, and if so, how should it be connected to my layout (since my layout consists of a double crossover, I would need more than one of those, but I started with one for now to make sure it would actually work)?

2) If I would need to switch to a DCC system (which would be better because I could control both trains independently), how would I assign which train is controlled by which button on the controller (#1, #2, etc)? The MTH subway set is specified as DCC-ready, but I'm not sure if the Rail Chief set is DCC-compatible.

[Quentin]

Put that link between this:

Just copy and paste the bracketed text, then we will be able to view that picture.


The Rail Chief is not DCC compatible, so there's a problem. However, you would still be able to run it using the DCC controller, it would just be preset 10 i believe (button #10). The subway set would be #1, and everything after that would be 2,3,4,5,6, etc. etc.

I believe that there is a way you can re-assign locos to different numbers, but I don't know how.

I also don't know if you can use that track module on the DC track, so someone else might say something different.

Hope that first part helps!

-Quentin

[Terry Toenges]

 H5subway  - . You can't post photos directly to the forum here. You have to upload your photo to a separate site site like Flicker.
Once you upload a photo to a site, open it up and right click on it. Click "copy image location" from the menu that comes up.
Then click the "image" tag in the box above the message area when you are typing your message. Paste the "image location" that you copied between the two image tags.
Like this but without the spaces: [ img ] image location [ /img ]o
Generally DCC Ready means it is ready to accept a decoder and has a socket to plug in the decoder. You still have to buy the decoder in addition to the DCC system to control it.

[Quentin]

Generally DCC Ready means it is ready to accept a decoder and has a socket to plug in the decoder. You still have to buy the decoder in addition to the DCC system to control it.

This is very true, should've read more carefully lol.

Quentin

[rich1998]

iHi H5subway. Welcome.

With new users, DCC will be an issue. Hang in there.
If you have the EZ Command, you cannot modify CV's. You will need a better controller. You can run trains ok and do quite a lot though.
As said, you need a photo hosting site. There are a number of free ones.

Rich

[Quentin]

My goodness, you don't need one of those photo hosting sites! I don't have one, and I can post this!

[Terry Toenges]

Is that a  picture you loaded up to the internet using DuckDuckGo? I'm trying to figure out how to use it to load a pic of mine. I just use Facebook now.
When you look at image info on your pic it shows the DuckDuckGo address:
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.1Zmzxm4440lzSSdhTWcA-wHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1

[rich1998]

Thanks Terry.
I never saw that in his posting. Nice to know.

Rich

[Terry Toenges]

I see now Quentin. It was copied off of another website. It was already on the internet and you didn't upload it yourself. There are a few sites with that pic.
It's not the same as uploading your own pictures to a site. Show us one of your own pics that you uploaded somewhere and how you did it.
https://www.railwayage.com/freight/class-i/aar-intermodal-likely-to-see-earliest-coronavirus-impacts/

http://reporterlogistics.com/rail-freight-services.php

https://www.supplychain247.com/article/the_state_of_rail_intermodal/rail

[Quentin]

I literally searched up (on duckduckgo, yes) "intermodal train" and this was one of the first that pulled up. Copy image link, then put between the "". Works every time for me.

If you have a problem with that, I am more than happy to stop. I don't want to start anything.

-Quentin

[Terry Toenges]

I'm don't want to start anything either. It's just that you missed the whole point of the conversation. I was trying to tell him how to upload his own picture to the internet. His pictures aren't on the internet. The picture has to be on the internet in order for him to copy and paste the address between the brackets. You are telling him wrong.
Just like you were wrong in telling the guy about the three prong plug. They have different voltages over there. He can't just go buy an adaptor plug. He needs something that will change the voltage, too.
It's great that you try to help but try to make sure that you are providing the correct information when you do. Sometimes, you post comments to people's questions and it seems like you don't know what you are talking about. I know you are young. Take time to learn about something before you try to answer someone's question. Google is your friend.
With your enthusiasm, in a few years you will be one of the most knowledgeable people on here if you just take the time to do a little research and learn.

[Quentin]

I can tell as well.

I've been trying to get rid of the habit of just rushing to answer a question that I know (at least part) of the answer to. There's where I try to always ask the person to check my answer before they do anything.

As for the British plug guy,
I've never been to the UK. I didn't know that they had different voltages. All I knew is that they had different plug sockets. Well, there's where common sense can kick in... if there's different sockets, then there is probably a different voltage...

Gotta love the teenage mind. Never fails to be completely stupid! 

And I have used Google (well, now DuckDuckGo, because it's supposed to be safer or something) to search answers. And others I know the answer by heart. My great-grandfather was an engineer for the U.P.R.R. and an engineer for the community. He had a massive public layout (like, covers the entire floor of a small gym type massive, cost about 3k back when it was built, costs about 7k now with all the locos, consists, landscaping, and wiring), and when it got (partially) destroyed by a flood, I was the one who got to learn how to rebuild it from Google and books. That's why I know a lot about some other things that people ask questions about.

I will take your advice. Thank you for it.

-Q

[Terry Toenges]

I'm sure that layout would have been something to see.
I didn't automatically know about the electricity overseas. I knew it was different so I spent a good deal of time researching it to figure out what he needed and then looked for those things before I posted about it.

[H5subway]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I've uploaded my track layout diagram to my Google photos, and embedded the link in my original post. It shows up for me when I'm logged in, but not always when I'm logged out (it didn't yesterday but it does today), so hopefully others who view this thread can see it too. When purchasing the auto-reverser I was aware that the worst thing that could happen is that I would be throwing over $100 out the window if it didn't work for my layout, so before I purchase another one, or a DCC controller, I want to be 100% sure that it would work. I'm curious as to how the DCC controller can automatically assign #1 to the first DCC-ready train (and whether it would do the same thing if it were another DCC-ready train, or whether it would automatically assign a different number), and #10 to a non-DCC train. If the auto-reverser won't work for my layout, I would consider using a manual DPDT switch, but again I would need to be sure that it would work, and how to install it, before buying it.

[Terry Toenges]

H5Subway - I apologize for getting sidetracked with your thread. I'm sure someone with better DCC knowledge can answer your questions.