DCC elite multiple loco

[Crompton]

Does anyone know if OR how it is possible to run more than 2 locos with DCC controllers? I have the Elite. I asked Hornby customer service and the response was yes you can but I cannot see how.

[Howbi]

The way I do it is to start with loco1 on controller1 running round loop1........then start controller2 with loco2 on loop2........you can then go back and press cont1, press the loco button and enter your next loco address so you'll have control of loco3 to go shunting etc but you have temporarily lost control of loco1 which will continue round it's loop at the speed you left it........if you have a third loop for loco3 you can then press controller2 then loco button, enter another address and have control of loco4 but you have lost control of loco2......so you have to remember the 4 loco addresses and on which tracks they are running.......you can easily stop one loco then go back to the other one to gain control.(after you have stopped the running loco first).......clear as mud 😮..........HB

[37lover]

Hi Crompton,

I am not being intentionally funny but have you read the manual?

[Chrissaf]

Just to add to what Howbiman has posted.

 

You have to forget everything you know about DC Analogue control of multiple locos using multiple controller knobs. DCC does not have a physical relationship between the knob and the loco being controlled ... the relationship is more virtual in nature.

 

Most DCC controllers only have a single controller knob even when controlling say 10 different locos. The number of locos that you can operate at any one time with a DCC controller is only limited by your capacity to remember what the DCC addresses of the locos are and your skill at 'juggling' their selection using the controller knobs and buttons in 'real time'.

 

The Elite goes one better than most single knob DCC controllers in that it has two control knobs. However note this significant clarification. The fact that the Elite has two control knobs does not mean that you have independent control of two locos simultaneously at the same time. Only one knob of the two is active at any instantaneous point in time. The control of two locos at the same time is an illusion. To control two [or more] locos with the two control knobs requires you to select the loco that is actually being controlled one loco at a time by making one or other of the two control knobs the currently 'active' one assigned to the loco you want to control.

 

For example: Let's say that you have a total 10 locos but want to initially use 4 of them at the start of this play session.

 

You assign Loco 1 to Controller 1 and Loco 2 to Controller 2

You set Loco 1 off going round Loop 1 and you set Loco 2 off going round Loop 2

 

Now the loco decoders remember the last command given to them. So now that Locos 1 and 2 are happily going round the loops on their own. The two controller knobs can now be re-assigned to Locos 3 and 4.

 

Let's say that you set Loco 3 going off on its own going round Loop 3, whilst Loco 4 is performing 'shunting duties' in the freight yard.

 

Now in this scenario, you need to keep the 'shunting loco' assigned to Control knob 2 because the shunting loco is going back and forth performing some fairly complex manoeuvrers in the shunting yard under your specific real-time control.

 

Meanwhile Control knob 1 is still assigned to Loco 3 and Locos 1 & 2 are still trundling round their loops autonomously.

 

Now you decide that you want to control Loco 2 which has until now happily been going round Loop 2, to halt at a station. Control knob 2 is still assigned to Loco 4 on its shunting duties. The shunter is probably standing still at this point in time because your attention has been diverted to the new task you want to do with Loco 2.

 

So you have to now change the assignment of Control knob 1 from Loco 3 to loco 2. Loco 3 meanwhile is still continuing to happily trundle around Loop 3.

 

So far in this play session, you have (at some point in time) assigned the two Control knobs to a total of 4 different Locos out of the 10 available. Therefore these 4 Locos will be in the Elite memory. The Elite memory can store the last 10 locos that have been assigned. The Elite won't memorise the other 6 locos until they have been assigned at least once to one of the Elite control knobs. Note that the memory is cleared when the Elite is powered down. The Elite 'Escape' key can be used to scroll through these memory locations to more quickly call up a previously controlled loco. This is all explained in the Elite manual ... top of Page 18.

 

As I said earlier, the number of locos that you can control in a play session is limited by your ability to 'juggle' the assignment of those locos to only the two Controller knobs that you have available to you. Remember that many DCC controllers only have a single control knob which makes this 'juggling' even more onerous.

 

One final comment. Running multiple locos at the same time is a little easier if you have loops on your layout where locomotives can be left traversing them unattended ... remember that DCC decoders act on the last command given to them and continue to execute that command until told to do something different. If your layout is an 'end to end' layout, then you will quickly loose control if you try to control (in movement tasks) any more than 2 locos at the same time. But your two control knobs on the Elite can be assigned to any 2 locos from your total loco fleet.

 

If you want to increase the number of control knobs that you can allocate to locos to minimise the number of times that the available control knobs need to be re-assigned to different locos. Then you can add multiple Select controllers to the Elite controller as 'Walkabout' controllers. For example, add two 'Walkabout' Select controllers gives you a total of four control knobs. But note this. If you use Selects as 'Walkabouts', you are restricted to only being able to use loco addresses in the 01 to 59 range and points in the 61 to 99 range. These are the only address ranges supported by a Select and will limit the more extensive Elite flexibility to use 4 digit DCC address ranges. If you want to know more about using 'Selects' as 'Walkabouts' then download and read the Select manual from the manuals section of the Hornby website.

 

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