Stupid DCC Question

[Cody J]

I am new to the whole world of model railroading and I don't know a lot about DCC so I was wondering if a DCC locomotive can run on DC?

thanks,
cody jackson

[jward]

yes they can, unless the analog is turned off in the decoder.

as far as i know, most decoders come from the factory with analog turned on.

[rustyrails]

Cody,
Some decoders allow operation on DC, and some do not.  I believe that all the Bachman engines that are factory equipped for DCC will also run on DC.  I also believe that most of the newer decoders will run on DC.  If you are buying a new locomotive and that feature is important to you, read the spec sheet before you buy and ask questions.  Also, most decoder equipped engines that will run on DC do not run like a plain vanilla DC engine.  The decoder needs a certain amount of juice before it starts to function, so most DC/DCC engines need 5 or 6 volts to start.  Hope this helps

By the way, there are a number of excellent books on DCC.  Check with your LHS and see what they recommend.
Rusty

[Cody J]

thanks rusty and jward for your helpful information