DC/DCC please help

[bigjewc]

hey guys, its the newbie again, i need an explanation on this whole DC and DCC thing. i keep seeing it on ebay and all the websites related to model trains. could someone out there break it down for me, so i have some sort of clue as to what everyone is talking about

thanks

[Yampa Bob]

Please visit this site, download "DCC for Beginners" (item #2 in PDF format).

http://www.tonystrains.com/

Suggest the "Standard Format", easier to read and follow. Here's the direct link:
http://www.tonystrains.com/download/DCC-for-Beginners-tte8x11.pdf

Regards.

[Jim Banner]

dc (direct current) control varies the voltage on the track to control the speed of all the locomotives that are on the track.

DCC (digital command control) has power on the track at all times.  A command station sends commands to the locomotives to tell them what to do with the power.  Like your email, each locomotive has its own address so messages to one locomotive are not read by the others.  With DCC, you can control many trains separately, as long as you have enough throttles connected to your command station to have one throttle for each locomotive.  Alternately, you can use one throttle and switch it between locomotives to send them commands (all the other locomotives will keep on doing what the last command told them to do.)

That, basically, is the difference between dc control and DCC.  For more details, check out Yampa Bob's links.

[alexusfamily]

Can you turn a non-DCC locomotive into a DCC ready?

[jward]

yes. and it can be as simple as plugging a decoder in to a recepticle in your locomotive. older locomotives often require custom decoder installation.
for an example of a custom installation, on a bachmann diesel with the split frame, follow this link:
http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/dcc/tmaster/tmaster.html

[bigjewc]

thanks guys. sorry so late at getting back, i thought that i posted this under N scale. took me a long time to refind this post. but thanks again!

[SteamGene]

Alexus,
You wouldn't turn a non-DCC loco into a DCC-ready loco.  You'd do non-DCC to DCC by isolating the motor and then installing a decoder.  DCC ready means that the motor is already isolated and there is a means to fairly easily install a decoder.  In the case of Bachmann, that means there is an NMRA standard 8 pin socket, ready to take the decoder.  In the case of some others, it means there are solder pads ready to have the decoder leads soldered to the pads. 
Gene