HellonWheels Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hi Everyone, new member, first post. This will probably be the first of many questions.Finally getting round to building my model railway. A modest 6 x 4 in a one bedroom flat, so not much room.I've decided on digital, mainly because of my work background.I wonder if there's a list anyone knows of, of DCC ready locos. I've read blogs and articles on converting analogue to digital but I'm better with a baseball bat than I am with a soldering iron. Reading the adverts on a well-known auction site gets a bit tedious, rarely any of them mention DCC ready or not.Got my baseboard being delivered soon. Can't wait to get started.Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDS Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 @HellonWheelsWelcome to the forum. Probably the best place to find out which Loco's are DCC ready etc are the main manufacturers site, such as this one, or the other large company. Nowadays, most if not all, new Loco's are either DCC ready or DCC fitted. Be careful with those advertised on that well known auction site - there are some very good bargains but some not so good. Generally, it is only with the older models that you would have to resort to a soldering iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 @ HellonWheelsHi and welcome to the forum...Here's a link to a web site that catalogues all Hornby loco's since 1955 to 2011 officially along with some newer ones... the site is based in Australia but is massive and extremely informative. The site also includes older Triang models plus Railroad for the modern day. It also lists loco's that were not catalogued by Hornby (not in their annual catalogue that is) and contains 64 of those, the first of which is one I requested to be added to start the list, The Lady Diana Spencer. A Class 47 loco released in tthe early 80's. So far, to date, there 11,318 models listed as catalogued.As said the site is huge and has service diagrams and more too... take a look: it tells you year of release, livery, how many years it was out for, and importantly for you.... wait for it..... whether or not the loco is DCC ready! Find a loco in the lists and scroll down that page with the loco, and a picture of it, on and under the heading...Model Catalogue Information...you'll see whether or not it is DCC ready.http://www.hornbyguide.com/default.aspAnother little gem of a tip is to find back issues of Hornby catalogues maybe even on eBay and they'll all be listed in there along with pictures of each loco so you know what you are getting. Of course some will be out of stock but maybe one or two may be still sitting on some model shop shelves. If you want B*chmann etc do the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graskie Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Welcome to the forums, HW. I note your reference to, presumably, eBay, but, if you do the appropriate searches, you'll find loads of locos. As long as you make sure you're likely to get something decent, you can acquire some good stuff at decent prices. Probably best to go for unused ones. Any dodgy items received can always be sent back under eBay's refund policy. Look specifically for, say, DCC ready or DCC locos, under the Hornby and other manufacturer's headings and, like me, you could be pleasantly surprised. I've been on that site for 11 years now and have rarely had problems out of thousands of transactions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hi HoW, did you enjoy the show that inspired your monicker? I did. Didn't like them killing off the female lead though. Graskie, it's SoT not ST, so it must also be HoW surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMMY68 Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Hi HoW, like you I've gone the DCC route. Hornby are really good at highlighting which of their products are DCC Fitted or DCC Ready. These are the ones I've gone with when making my purchases. I've even been brave enough to purchase and fit a Hornby DCC decoder into my DCC ready.... and it worked!! So must be straightforward if I can do it. If searching on that auction website, I tend to use DCC Fitted in the search and usually brings up both "ready and fitted" anyway, but to be honest I haven't been brave enough to make a purchase via an auction as yet, preferring the safety net of a local retailer - and the enjoyment of looking through the items for sale!! Welcome to the Forum, you will find lots of help, guidance and brilliant advice here - being a newbie myself to this hobby I've found it invaluable. Best wishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellonWheels Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Yeah, love it. The show, a PS3 game called Red Dead Redemption and taking my grandson to a local model railway exhibition rekindled something in me, and the exhibition kindled something in him. So....here I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellonWheels Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Thanks for all the replies, guys.I figure I've severly limited myself in choice of locos going DCC. Like I say in a post ^^ up there, I'm doing this partly for myself and partly for my grandson. He's still only 5, and I'm trying to work it out to have things like The Hogwarts Express and the Toy Story trains running round while he's here, stuff like that. Hardly 'purist', I know, but he's only 5. Obviously, if I want to have those going, I'll have to fit decoders myself. That is all there is to it, right? Fit a decoder and off you go? I hate soldering.For myself, I've spotted, on that well-known auction site, the very train set my Mum and Dad gave me for my 11th Christmas.......a Triang RS38, but I don't think I'll bid on it, wouldn't be the same. I like the 'Last Single Wheeler', I'd like a GWR Pullman, an Orient Express, an operating Mail Coach and.....the list is quite long, really, so I'll stop there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 HoW, if you are talking older second hand, no soldering iron and DCC then you certainly are limited. Not so limited new though. But don't be afraid of the soldering iron just because you haven't tried it. It's easy to google lots of good info on how to do it properly, even do a forum search as it has been discussed on here before. You'll soon find a good soldered joint is far easier than hitting high speed baseballs. I know, I've done lots of both. My batting average over nearly 30 years would have been around 250 and my good soldered joint rate over 99%. Then there are decoder fitting services too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAJ Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 If your not confident with using a soldering iron you can ask your local model shop to either fit decoders for you or reconmend someone who can or you could find a local model railway club and ask for assitance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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