dcc

[basement]

would it be complated to run my 30 year old trains with an ez command digital command control system
thanks

[ACY]

The E-Z Command is a DCC system and is best used to run DCC locomotives, using it to run one DC locomotive is a bad idea for a multitude of reasons. If you want to run DC locos use a regular non-DCC power source. Also 30 year old locos typically are not the best candidates for DCC conversion for a variety of reasons.

[jward]

it would be complicated to add the necessary decoders to your locomotives to allow them to run on dcc. locomotives of that era often used  the frame to conduct electricity to the motor. with dcc, the connection from rails to motor must go through the decoder.
therefore, depending on what locomtives you have, converting them to run on dcc will require that they be rebuilt. installing a decoder in older locomotives can range from reasonably easy to downright impossible. add to that the fact that older train set type locomotives are not worth the cost of the decoder that you'd have to install, and the fact that even the best locomtives of 30 years ago run poorly compared to the new ones.....

if you are looking for simplicity, trying to convert older locomotives to run on dcc is a waste of time.

[Jim Banner]

I agree with most of what Jeffery says but not quite all of it.  Thirty years ago would be back in the 1980's.  In my opinion, the best of the H0 locomotives at the time ran as well as anything built today.  In plastic, Atlas had just brought out the Kato built RS-3 which was one of the smoothest running H0 locomotives ever built.  Other Atlas/Kato releases were similar.  Athearn locomotives of the time ran well after proper break in, and with a properly programmed BEMF decoder run even better today.  With a low cost decoder and no programming beyond a change of address, they can still run acceptably well.  Even before the 80's there were several American manufacturers that produced some fine diesels, Atlas Tool Company and Hobbytown of Boston among them.  Twenty years ago there was some very nice plastic steam appearing on the market such as the Bachmann Plus Consolidation.  Before that, there was some acceptable die cast steam - Bowser, Mantua and John English come to mind.  In my opinion, all of these are worth converting to DCC, especially if you can do the conversion yourself.  You may find some indication of how simple or complicated that might be by reading some of the conversion articles and comparing what is required to your own skills.  This one for example:
http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/dcc/rs3/rs3.html

You may find that it is not worth your while to learn the necessary skills or to clean, lubricate and tune up the locomotives before starting conversion, an absolute must with all units that age.  As ACY has pointed out previously, many of us enjoy setting up a railroad and building scenery for it far more than we like mucking about inside our locomotives.

I definitely agree with Jeffery that 30 year old train set locomotives are not worth converting.  Even if the decoders were free, you would still end up with four wheel power pickup, four wheel drive, and jerky, jack rabbit starts.  You just cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, no matter how much fancy electronics you stuff into it.

Jim