Operating with DCC

[DCB]

As someone using DC (and working on simple R/C)  I am rather jealous of the flexibility DCC affords for operating 2 or more locos on the same track, for instance, double heading, banking, and shunting where locos follow stock out of platforms.

 

However I never see or read of anyone actually using this ability.  Does anyone ever "Drive" the train loco while someone else "Drives" the pilot or banker?   Is there any technical reason why this can't be done.   It was a highly skilled part of a driver's job in steam days.  40% of my trains are banked or piloted up the bank. 

 

Ideally I need the train loco to pull hard all the way but for the Banker to push gently until the junction pointwork is cleared and then open up on the 1 in 30 gradient and to balance the load so the banker is not doing all the work or the train engine slipping furiously.

 

Does anyone do anything like this?

[John ks]

I Have Digitrax which has 2 control throttles on each handset

 

I have done what you suggest but by my self & it works fine

 

I see no problem with 2 (skilled) drivers (each with their own throttle) 

 

I have read elsewhere on this forum of at least one other doing the same, if I remember correctly he was using 2 NCE throttles

 

John 

[Steven B]

Yes, it's possible. There are two ways, which you choose depends on how the prototype did it:

 

Banker coupled onto train: Stop main train, drive banking loco to rear of train and couple up. Consist the train and banker locos so they can be controlled as one. Drive the two locos up the hill, stop. Break the consist, run the train on to it's destination, run the banker up to the cross over allowing it to pass back down hill to wait for the next banking job.

 

Banker pushing but not coupled: Stop main train, drive banking loco to rear. You can now either consist the train and banker and run as before (relying on the speeds of both locos being closely matched), or assign each loco it's own controller. If you run with two controllers then you can control the speeds of the two locos as the prototype drivers would. As the train reaches the summit you can back off the speed of the banking engine and have it drop back of the end of the train.

 

 

 

Steven B.

[Pete the Elaner]

I double head manually, does that count?

I have a CMX track cleaner, which is too much of a load for 1 of my steam locos. They just sit there spinning.

I couple 2 up together & instead of going through the procedure of adjusting 1 of the chips to match the seed settings from the other then creating a consist so they both respond to the same address, I just drive both together on separate throttles. I have only done this on my own so far though.

[JST]

One of the main reasons I opted to go down the DCC route. I have about 30 locos on my layout and am planning a large loco shed - moving locos around that would demand a lot of isolated zones and faff using DC. I am also building an incline at 1 in 37 which will need a banker.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

This DCC operator matches all loco speed curves, and has characterised acceleration and deceleration rates in one of three groups, slow medium, fast. They all match in the bottom quarter of the speed curve for banking purposes and for moves around and on and off shed in 'trots'. (Side question: is 'trot' for two or more engines running coupled up for such moves a generally understood term?)

 

Pilot engine, I consist with train engine, and with the locos speed matched the system takes care of the 'skilled driver' element.

 

Moving the engine that brought in the ecs off the platform behind the departing train, do it manually,

 

Banking, manually, but let the speed matching take care of what actually happens. I only put on a banker (or for that matter add a pilot) if the train engine model cannot move the load unassisted because it exceeds the tractive capability carefully set by appropriate weighting of the model. Consequently when banking the train engine has some proportion of the train with the couplers in tension, and the remainder of the couplers are in compression, so those vehicles are being moved by the banker. The variations in vehicle weights, gradient and rail adhesion see the balance point move about while in motion. The train cannot run away from the banker while the full load is on the bank, and the banking engine is manually 'dropped off' once the train engine is sufficiently off the bank to be able to take the full load.

[Oldddudders]

I would suggest that the simplest, least intelligent but maybe most prototypical means would be to buffer up the banker, then set the train loco throttle to something sensible, allowing its value in CV3 to accelerate the train, while manually controlling the banker, with a very low value in CVs3/4, by watching the coupling slack between the two rearmost vehicles of the train. This, to my mind, most closely apes what the banking crew were required to do.

 

Again, the dual-knob Digitrax throttles, which I also use, lend themselves to this approach, but I have no doubt other systems can skin this cat just as well.