DCC tips

[Flightsimer]

Hi everyon. I’m basically new to DCC and would value any tips or advice. I have had a model railway since I was 6 years old when I got my first clockwork set. I’ve built several DC layouts but moved house 20 years ago, boxing everything up until now when life has slowed down enough to allow me some time to enjoy my hobby. I’m starting over, new attic, new layout and scarily the new DCC. Having been used to DC, DCC is a new scary adventure for me.

I have loads of track, old and new, as I’ve been buying new items in preparation for this day. I have a brand new Elink with Railmaster and three DCC ready engines, that’s about it. My layout will be once again in the article, with the base about 14ft wide by 20ft long. 

Any tips on setting up would be appreciated 

[Rog RJ]

As a first step, you will need to fit decoders in your DCC ready locos to allow them to run from a DCC controller.  DCC ready just means they have a DCC socket with a blanking plug fitted.  Remove the blanking plug and you can then plug in your decoder of choice.

[2e0dtoeric]

First tip - DCC ready means that there is a socket fitted READY for a decoder to be plugged in instead of the blanking plug. The loco is NOT DCC until you fit a decoder (chip).

-

Second - you say old track - how old? If it is steel (grey to look at, and a magnet sticks to it, it will be more trouble than it is worth). More modern track is nickel-silver, and stays clean a lot longer. (With DCC clean track, wheels and pick-ups are essential).

-

Third - Open up your track clip, and make sure there is NO capacitor in there. The capacitor is for eliminating tv interference, and corrupts DCC data. There are pages of images and instructions on removing it on here.

-

Fourth - read, understand, read again, the thread Getting Started, including Track Extension Packs on the top of the General threads.

Then, when you are totally baffled, and have more questions, cme back and ask again!  😛

[Chrissaf]

Very little more for me to add with regard the original post, it has been adequately covered already by others.

.

So on a slightly different tack.

TIP: As this is your very first post, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply to any of the posts, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

.

PS - RailMaster with eLink may need a bit of setting up to get working 'out of the box'. There are many 'How To' threads on this forum that go into far more detail than that covered in the manual. Plus lots of TIPs found through experience that are not covered in the manual. So if you have any 'eLink communication issues' at all. Come back here to resolve them.

.

Starting point for setting up eLink is this thread:

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/railmaster-help-site/?p=1

 

[Fishmanoz]

My tips - if you haven’t done so already, first read the DCC section of the Hornby website.  Then google Brian Lambert and read his DCC section, both pages, along with as much as you need of the remainder of his site.

[Flightsimer]

Thankyou everyone, those tips will really help and I’ve searched the sites and I’ve googled Brian Lambert, excellent info there so Thankyou.

I have already bought decoders for the locos, I checked first and they require 8 pin decoders so that’s what I got. I also have the 4amp power supply for the elink instead of the 1amp that comes with it.

Track is really old, I got most of it when I was 15, although I did buy a few lengths of flexibility track about five years ago, but I am aiming to just purchase new track and will scrap the old stuff.

On my DC layout I ran two wires under the track and took feeders wires from them to add power around the track, I didn’t use track clips but just solidered these feeder wires to the track, I am hoping to do the same with the DCC layout, what do you guys do?

[Chrissaf]

I didn’t use track clips but just soldered these feeder wires to the track, I am hoping to do the same with the DCC layout, what do you guys do?

.

Some do....some don't.......there are more in the do camp.

.

Soldered wires to track that is.........DCC is very unforgiving to poor track condition and connections. The Hornby power clips are IMO a DCC fault liability.

.