I just had a bottle of smoke juice in my hand and almost thru it in the trash, that stuff makes a heck of a mess on the track and lay out. Kinda stinks to LOL! 

Thanks for the info guys, not reverse loops. And yes i'm gonna run a large bus with feeders. Also the joints are soldered already. Again thanks, DCC COMING TO A LAYOUT NEAR ME!

Hello, my layout consist of two separate loops, an upper and lower. When I convert to DCC if I wire them both with a common busline will I be able to operate on both loops with the same control? I'm going with the NCE power cab. Each loop is around 40-45 feet of track. Thanks for any input.

Thanks for the input guys, I think I'm going with code 100 flex all the way. I have a ton of older rolling stock from many dif manufactures. 

Getting ready to start my new layout and I would like some input on track code. My current layout is all EZ track, Its in the man cave no plans to take it down, I have way to much time and money in it. The new one is going in a 20x12 barn that will have heat and AC. It will be dedicated to the train lay out, A train barn if you will. So what and why are the reasons to use the different codes of track? I will be laying all flex track.  Should be several hundred feet of track and this will be a DCC setup. I am going with the NCE power cab system. Thanks for any input.

If a locomotive is sold as DCC ready will it run on a DC lay out ?

Does it derail at the same place on your lay out every time? or random spots around the layout?

I am running two power supply's and controllers one for each lope.

Well as I understand it , with DCC you can send trains to a side track or on to a yard track and you have all the sound features. just more stuff to play with. I'm a retired trucker, the more stuff I have to play with the better. Thanks for the advise. 

Hello, I want to get in to DCC. My lay out has two separate lines (EZ Track) all but two bridges. One on each line. I guess about 45 feet of track on each line. I have spent a good deal of work on the tracks and they run very well, smooth never any derails. Not all the joints are soldered but the ones that are hard to reach are and the bridges are. I added one power tap at the far side of the track, the trains don't lose speed any where around the layout. So where do I start with the DCC? I Don't what to buy the latest high dollar set I just want I good starter set that comes complete so I don't have to go look for some other little part that doesn't come with the starter set. Is there a way to run both of my lines with the same starter set? or am I asking to much? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks James.

Quote from: rogertra on April 29, 2018, 03:40:53 PM

Quote from: Len on April 28, 2018, 10:11:53 AM
I agree with Jeff. Because of the tighter curves that have to be dealt with, most HO freight cars use 33" wheels, whether the prototype did or not, to clear the underframe. Most HO passenger cars use 36" wheels, with the notable exception of IHC & Rivarossi, which used 31" wheels. They can be replaced with 36" wheels if you carve off the brake shoes, or you can get 31" metal wheels from these guys: http://www.ihc-hobby.com/product/4355-H36
Thats the attitude that keeps a lot of people from getting into this hobby. Model railroad snobbery at its finest.
Len

36" minimum visible radius and 30" in staging.  Wheel sizes are no problem unless you are using toy train track radii.  24" or less.

Cheers

Roger T.

Thanks Roger t, Good info.

Hey people, I want to start swapping out my plastic wheels on my rolling stock. ( I have cars from many dif. manufactures) How do you know what size to use ? Ive seen 33" 36" so what the trick? thanks for any help.

Hey guys, I'm wanting to make one of my lines into a passenger train. Will 11 1/2 inch cars make around 18 deg turns? I've found a set of Amtrak cars I want but I don't want to have to change my lay out to run them. Thanks for any input.

Well I started work on our Christmas train, its going to be a figure 8. One loop around the tree and the other an HO Christmas seen. I took one of my old F9's and installed color change LED's in the head light and in the four holes in the sides. Also the caboose (its a spot light caboose) Its works great on the bench power supply all the lights change from red-blue-green. But when I put it on the track all the lights stay red, none of them will change. I can put the caboose on the track by its self and it will change colors but as soon as I put the loco on it goes to red and stays that way. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I cant figure out for the life of me and I have tinkered with it for hours. I tried wiring it in parallel and in series same result.