Hi all, I hope everyone is well.

I don't have any benchwork to put my 4'x8' E-Z Track HO layout on, as I live in a very small apartment and don't have the room even for a stowaway type table. I would like to get into DCC, mainly for adding sound and better speed control. I've been reading some of the websites that have been shared on here for others who are getting started like me.

The issue is, I don't think I can use the type of starter system I was wanting to get (NCE PowerCab or MRC Prodigy Express) because there's no way to do a track bus without wires being all over the floor. However, I would like more control of the sound/light functions than the E-Z Command seems to have... not saying it's bad, but I am well aware of its limitations.

Am I missing or misunderstanding something about the setup of those systems, or am I just stuck with DC until I can get a better space to actually build something? I appreciate all of you, and hope that everyone stays well and safe during this crazy time!

Eric

I'm looking at buying a Bachmann DCC-On Board Conrail locomotive that I found on eBay, but I only have the DC power pack that I got with the train set my mom got me for Christmas 20 years ago. I don't want to ruin the decoder by trying to run it on my tiny setup, so I'm coming to the people who have more experience than I do! (I'm just trying to get started in model railroading after dealing with health problems for the past 10 years.) I've seen other similar posts that mentioned the "pulse modulation" that older DC throttles have, but am not sure how to find out if mine is like this. Could someone please guide me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance!

Eric

"Conrail was my childhood"