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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Oct 5, 2012 14:52:51 GMT -8
 Dear Sirs, I have a Sam Hong SA N&W J1 4-8-4 as yet just a conventional electrified model and hope to get some CB&Q F3s A B A where the powered unit could have the DCC thingy fitted already.(Atlas). Q1 can you get a controller that sits on a desk as I am not too keen on a hand held controller. Q2 does Atlas do a controller Q3 is it reasonably easy to fit a DCC unit into a brass engine ? Q4 These controllers do they have a simulate position where when you close the regulator the engine carries on coasting and do you have a brake application handle to give a realistic stop not one where if you put the engine brake full on the train will stop dead? On a full size train a full brake only slows you down and you released the brake so you stopped with the brake coming off this gave the passengers a comfortable ride. This was more so on British passenger stock not fitted with the Buckeye couplings but screw link couplings with working side buffers. When with Buckeye stock the side buffers were retracted into the short position out of use. Q5 Can you get N&W steam loco sound effects? I don't understand electronic technical terms but willing to learn. We had to learn Ohms's Law but that was a long time ago. Thanks chaps. Jim Brodie
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Post by bnsf971 on Oct 5, 2012 17:24:20 GMT -8
Dear Sirs, I have a Sam Hong SA N&W J1 4-8-4 as yet just a conventional electrified model and hope to get some CB&Q F3s A B A where the powered unit could have the DCC thingy fitted already.(Atlas). Q1 can you get a controller that sits on a desk as I am not too keen on a hand held controller. Q2 does Atlas do a controller Q3 is it reasonably easy to fit a DCC unit into a brass engine ? Q4 These controllers do they have a simulate position where when you close the regulator the engine carries on coasting and do you have a brake application handle to give a realistic stop not one where if you put the engine brake full on the train will stop dead? On a full size train a full brake only slows you down and you released the brake so you stopped with the brake coming off this gave the passengers a comfortable ride. This was more so on British passenger stock not fitted with the Buckeye couplings but screw link couplings with working side buffers. When with Buckeye stock the side buffers were retracted into the short position out of use. Q5 Can you get N&W steam loco sound effects? I don't understand electronic technical terms but willing to learn. We had to learn Ohms's Law but that was a long time ago. Thanks chaps. Jim Brodie Hi, I am typing pn a tablet, so forgive the misspellinsgs. Soundtraxx Tsunami, Southern Steam will have the sound of both the J and A. Cv 3 and cv4 are acceleration and deceleration, simply change to a higher number to simulate heavy train start and stop. F11 on a Tsunami will give the sound of brakes as well as braking effect, the amount of braking is governed by the cv setting for it. Brass is not tough to install DCC in, but any momentary short will cause it to stall, where on dc it might just coast on through. Atlas did market a controller, I do not know if a desktop version is available. I used a Digitrax Zephyr, which is a table mounted base station. The original version was very good, but I personally had issues with the new version, so I would hesitate to reccomend it. |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Oct 5, 2012 18:41:48 GMT -8
Jim, A1: Yes, Digitrax makes the Zephyr, a desk-mounted DCC system: www.digitrax.com/products/starter-sets/zepx/A2: Atlas used to market a desktop DCC system called the "Master" system. It pre-dated the Zephyr and was made by Lenz (and was therefore compatible with Lenz products). It was fairly primitive compared to later offerings by other manufacturers, but was a pretty reliable system. A3: Yes, it is "reasonably" easy to install DCC into an HO brass steam engine. I've done a half dozen of my own, and have done others for friends and fellow club members. I timed myself once, and to put a DH123 decoder into a Key Imports NH J-1 Mikado, it took me 60 minutes from opening the box to putting it on the track completed (without headlight). The headlight would take aother half hour, probably If you can get the decoder in the boiler and you don't want a tender back-up light, then you can get away with just using the draw bar to bring power from the tender into the decoder (IOW, no plugs required). But if you put the decoder in the tender and you want a headlight, then you'll need 5 wires between the boiler and the tender (1 for tender pick-up, 2 to the motor, and 2 for the headlight). Sometimes, however, it's not so much the decoder but the brass steam engine itself that takes a long time to get right. Check out one of my crazy DCC installs in this forum in a thread called, "Brass Steam DCC Install Story". That one took me 5 hours to complete.  A4: Yes, as bnsf971 mentioned, you have CV's 3 and 4 which control an individual engine's starting and coasting momentum. In addition to that, the Digitrax Zephyr also has a "brake" position on the directional switch that will bring an engine to a slow and gentle stop when used properly. Also, if you've braked and you want to resume speed, simply put the direction switch to forward or backward, and the engine will slowly accelerate to the position the throttle is in. This is completely independant from CV's 3 and 4. Furthermore, on some QSI and other sound decoders, one can actually replicate actual US braking systems. On QSI's, you set the coasting momentum to a really high level. Then while running the train at speed, one first reduces the throttle to zero (the train will coast right along because of CV4's high setting). The next thing is to hit F7, which causes an air brake release sound effect, and causes the train to slow at an ever-increasing rate. At this point, one can either allow the brake to continue to get "tighter" and slow the train faster, or hit F7 again and keep the braking rate where it is. Eventually, one can get pretty good at stopping the train where you want it. A5: I believe N&W high-shrieking whistles are available for most sound decoders, and the "steamboat" J's are also around. |
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Oct 6, 2012 1:34:16 GMT -8
Thank you gentlemen for your helpful replies. I omitted to say my modelling is in 0 gauge but I presume that would make fitting any gubbins into the boiler or tender easier there being more space available. I used to be a steam engine driver (engineer) and welcome any realistic model train handling. My old fashioned controllers with simulate I restricted the maximum brake application to 60% so leaving the brake full on was exactly the same sensation as the delay on a real train, naturally you eased the brake off so as not to stop short-but better a short stop as an overun! No matter how hard you pressed your feet on the cab floor boards you didn't stop any quicker. Incidently if we got a fully fitted train ie the brake applied on every wagon it was like a day out. Our main train working was with only the engine steam brake and the guards van brake applied (caboose). Sometimes we had to resort to applying wagon side lever brakes-from the ground, the fireman doing it at the engine end and the guard from the van end. Sorry I digress I guess I just like talking about trains. Some of our gradients were that steep we had to apply two wagon brakes for every wagon on the train!!!I jest.
Our ex NER engines had a whistle that shrieked but the WD engines had a low toned 'hoot'
as did most ex LMS engines
Jim Brodie.
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Oct 7, 2012 0:27:48 GMT -8
Paul, I opened the web site you kindly supplied and found the dealers in England. The nearest being some 100 miles away in Lincolnshire-I live in Yorkshire- I have e mailed Digitrax in the USA re 0 gauge should get a reply tomorrow.
Thanks again for your help.
Jim Brodie.
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Post by bnsf971 on Oct 7, 2012 4:04:30 GMT -8
Jim, is the O gauge AC or DC powered? AC is generally the three rail like Lionel.
If it's DC, the limiting factor may be current draw. O may be too many amps for many decoders, though there are some specific to O and G scales. If that turns out to be the case, you can use a higher-capacity motor decoder, and use the sound decoder for sound only. I have some of the Broadway Limited engines with two decoders, and after the initial issues programming two decoders, they have worked well.
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Oct 8, 2012 1:46:06 GMT -8
Terry-The N&W J class is 12v DC (Samhongsa Brass) and the two out of era Atlas F9As are also 12v DC. I live in hopes of finding two either WP or CB&Q or D&RGW body shells to swap with.
Jim.
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