Newbee's Questions

[Jack westwood]

Hello Guys,

I have been hovering here for a while now and havent said anything, im 16 and have no experiance in Layouts.

I previously moddeled 1:50,1:87 truck and fire engines and im am just about to start a 12x2 Layout.

 

In The layout i plan there to be a :

-Track maintenance yard (Colas and Network Rail)

-TMD (EWS or Freightliner)

-Small yard off a siding (Stobart Rail)

-Somewhere for a small de-rail or track maintenance scene

-Station platform.

 

 

 

I am currently a bit worried about the powering and control of the layout, But i know i want it to be DCC controlled, and i have some questions i hope you could answer:

 

1) Can Bachmann Trains run of a Hornby DCC?

 

2) Can i contol points automaticly from one controll pannel

 

3) How many trains can i run off hornbys DCC controllers

 

4) Which track is better, Hornby or Bachmann

 

5) Does my Track need to be an oval for it to work, can it be just, long

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help you may give

 

Thanks

 

Jack

[Chameleon]

1) Can Bachmann Trains run of a Hornby DCC?

 

yes, nearly all trains and digital systems are NMRA compliant. Pretty much any train will run with any chip or system as they have the same sort of connectors.

 

2) Can I contol points automaticly from one controll pannel

 

depends on what you mean by "automatically"? you can set up a panel with a track diagram which will work the points by switches or probe and contacts. OR you can run them off a DCC system with the appropriate control modules.

 

3) How many trains can i run off hornbys DCC controllers

 

Depends on your power supply but I believe 4-5 is the limit on a standard system.

 

4) Which track is better, Hornby or Bachmann

 

Peco.

 

5) Does my Track need to be an oval for it to work, can it be just, long?

 

I assume you are referring to DCC track feeds? In which case it does not matter, as, in theory, you can run an entire layout from just one power connection. However, you may well get problems with poor track joints or connecting via point blades. You are best to put several track feeds in so you are not relying on these to move the power around. probably best to come up with a track diagram and see what feeds you will need.

 

Might I suggest you pop along to your local model railway club, or even a local show where you could find out this stuff first hand and actually see it in operation. It always helps. Feel free to ask anything else...

[Jack westwood]

Thank you very much for the quick reply and superb answers, they cover everything.

 

About the beco track, do peco do track with Concrete sleepers? If not id doesnt mater i would just rather have moderner looking track.

 

One More, If i was to put a plastic or metal road rail model on live track, would it catch fire or similar?!

 

JAck

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

The Peco range includes a concrete sleeper base track. There are yet other alternative makes, but Peco is very widely stocked.

 

If you use DCC the first thing you will discover is that it has very rapid short circuit protection, anything conductive shorts the track (the pliers you put down across the rails, the zipper tag that comes into contact as you lean across) and 'ping' the system trips, and has to be reset, usually just a single button push. So no risk of starting fires, which is one of the reasons why this protection is present.

[BR60103]

Jack: for your question 3 (how many) did you mean at the same time or in total?

Running at the same time, you are limited by the amps in the power supply: it may take 1/2 to 1 amp per loco.

The system will allow for a lot more (usually) if you just leave them sitting in an engine shed and bring them out occasionally.

The only fire I remember in a model railway was a point motor whose push button jammed on until it overheated.

[Sir Nigel Of Gresley]

Hello Jack,

 

Even at 43 years old, I'm still learning. As the old adage states "you're never to old to learn". The best advice I can give is, go to your local independent model shop and ask their advice. No self respecting shop owner is going to ignore you if you're about to spend some cash!! Take an adult with you who (hopefully) knows about model railways, or at least about electrics> They can help you and not let you get your head full of confusing terms, as model railways, and especially the electrics side of it, can be confusing!!

 

If you have a local model railway club, join it, as most of the members will have been there awhile, and will have tried and tested ways of doing things....plus their knowledge and advice will be helpful. Some shops will give model club members a discount, and that is definately worth inquiring about!!

 

Visit model railway exhibitions and ask your questions there. Again, no self respecting modeller or layout operator will ignore you, as some love nothing better than talking about their hobby and layout.

 

Above all, enjoy your hobby, and bewarned, you will make mistakes, because we all do!!!

 

Grant

[Jack westwood]

Thanks Very Much Guys, Im looking forward to getting started and sharing it here.

 

 

So no risk of starting fires, which is one of the reasons why this protection is present.

 

So does this mean if i have a static model, like a road rail vehicle, on the track, i cant run trains at the same time. Sorry if im getting this wrong.

 

Cheers

[Sir Nigel Of Gresley]

Thanks Very Much Guys, Im looking forward to getting started and sharing it here.

 

 

 

 

So does this mean if i have a static model, like a road rail vehicle, on the track, i cant run trains at the same time. Sorry if im getting this wrong.

 

Cheers

 

 

Hi Jack,

 

If you have a static model on the track, (say at the end of a siding, etc), you can run your locos on that track at the same time. If you are thinking of placing static models on your track, I'd use plastic wheels, or metal wheels on a plastic axle. That way, if you try DC first instead of going straight into DCC, you will not have problems with electrical flow. Think of it this way: if you shunt wagons, they are still stationary on the rails, and your locos still move. Having stationary vehicles on your track will not stop your locos from moving....and never be afraid to ask a question.

 

As we say in the North East "Shy bairns get no sweeties"

 

 

 

Grant

[Jack westwood]

Cheers Grant, i should have realised that

[ECML180]

I'm 15 so I can relate in terms of inexperience but if I could offer a piece of advice it's to be careful with your layout design, that's the best place to discover problems and also think of expansion, I downsized my layout plans so I could ensure I got more work done but my 2ft x 8ft layout is designed for extension with 2 more 8x2 boards and a 4x3 board, the key I found is to leave tracks leading offscenic boards in a position to be expanded on

[Ron Ron Ron]

1) Can Bachmann Trains run of a Hornby DCC?

All trains fitted with DCC decoders, should run with any NMRA compliant DCC system.

Why Hornby? Maybe you should be looking elsewhere for your DCC system?

It may be worth using the Search function to trawl the forum for information and advice on DCC starter systems.

 

 

2) Can i contol points automaticly from one controll panel

As Chameleon asks, what do you mean by "automatically"?

If you wish to use DCC to change points or set routes, then choose your DCC system carefully. With many systems, changing points/routes from a handset/console can be clunky or cumbersome, requiring a lot of button pushing. Some systems have better/easier point control than others.

Operating DCC controlled points from a separate hardware panel (diagram, mimic panel etc,) can only be done with certain systems using appropriate electronic modules that work with that system.

Lenz and Roco users can also use a dedicated point/route controller, the "Roco Route Control"; but this is a console using buttons, a keypad and small display to indicate the points addresses being operated. It doesn't use track diagrams.

 

The alternative is to not use DCC for this aspect of layout operation and to use regular analogue methods for point switching instead (cheaper, but probably more complex wiring).

 

 

3) How many trains can i run off hornbys DCC controllers

Already answered by others.

 

 

4) Which track is better, Hornby or Bachmann

Both are train-set track.

Peco also do a compatible but better range of train-set track, called "Setrack".

However, if you a starting off in the world of railway modelling, it may be best to look at better track than any of those.

 

Your choice will between "ready-to-lay" or "hand-built" track, but as a beginner and no doubt eager to get on with the project, ready-to-lay is probably the best way to go.

Peco have two ranges of ready-to-lay 00/H0 track, called "Streamline". It comes in two forms (or codes) - Code 75 and Code 100. [75 is the finer and better looking of the two].

If you are into North American prototypes, then Peco also have an American style range of H0 track called Code 83. They also do track for other gauges (N, 0 etc).

There are other brands of ready-to-lay", but they are not as easily available as the Peco stuff (e.g. personally I use Tillig for RTL).

 

 

5) Does my Track need to be an oval for it to work, can it be just, long

As long as you have adequate power feeds to the track and no clashes of polarity (e.g. from reverse loops etc,) then it should be OK

 

 

About the Peco track, do Peco do track with Concrete sleepers?

Yes !

 

 

....If i was to put a plastic or metal road rail model on live track, would it catch fire or similar?!

A plastic model will be OK provided there isn't a metal axle and metal wheels to cause a short.

Metal models beware. Ensure they are isolated from the track (e.g. plastic or rubber wheels) and that no metal parts can come into contact with the live rails.

A DCC system should cut-out if a short occurs, but you will need to prevent or remove the cause of the short if you want to run any trains.

 

.

[66540Ruby]

Jack, a mistake I made with a first layout and a mistake a lot of newcomers to the hobby often make is cramming too much track into a given space. The real railway (mostly) doesn't have sidings everywhere, often less track is more realistic. HTH. Nick.

[ChrisB]

In answer to your question about whether or not your track needs to be an oval, try looking at some of the layouts on here in the 2010 challenge section to see what's possible in a small space, without an oval. In fact there's all kind of inspirational stuff in the main "Layout" section. You will also find lots of useful information in the DCC section on here.

 

It might be helpful to let us know where you are situated as there may be someone from this forum who's reasonably close and who will be happy to help.

[Jack westwood]

Thanks Guys, Im thinking that maybe a little less crammed into that space would look better, as you all say. Im from the Birmingham area.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

Jack

[ECML180]

I don't believe in copying a station/track layout exactly, but what might help you is to get a suitable prototype in your head and armed with a camera and notepad have a look around the local railways, hopefully you'll find something you can use as a base to get a realistic layout. A decent example of a...tweaked...prototype is Scawscarr, link below, that may provide a bit of inspiration

[Jack westwood]

Thanks you, im going to get the baseboards sorted this weekend, and throw some track down for a test look!