I'm working in N-scale, but this question could apply to all scales.
I'm making a simple, small oval with 1 turnout to a passenger station.
I've heard that long-term, it's not exactly great to run DC locos on DCC track, but I was wondering if you can damage a DCC loco by running it on DC track.
Should I double-isolate the track off the turnout and use it double-duty as a programming track, or just keep the whole loop as a single and run it DC?
The loco I would use has DCC but no sound. There is also no room at all to make this loop a part of a bigger system later.
DCC engines can run on DC but that's not how things are intended, A complete square peg and round hole thing. You should make up your mind and go with one of the other on the entire layout. It may mean losing some engines with the wrong system, but if you want a truly completely operational layout you can't mix power systems on different tracks.
Not to say that this hasn't happened on the prototype, especially where electrification was involved and steam engines weren't permitted in the electrified area, ie in New York City and in the cascade Tunnel on the great northern.
The main thing you'll notice operating a DCC loco on a DC track is you have to turn the throttle higher to get the train moving. This is because it takes somewhere around 5 volts on the track before the decoder will pass power through to the motor.
Len
I think I'll keep it at DC then, since I just have the one train.
It's really just some background thing to go around my computer monitor (I have a topic on it with track plans in the N-scale board).
Yes, simplicity is the right thing for your application.
Thanks guys. I was leaning towards DC anyway. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any super functionality to DCC.
You are, you need to go all DCC to really have it. You don't have any control over the sounds when you run DCC engines on DC.
My one and only DCC engine doesn't have sound.
I never linked how Locos with DCC run on DC. Plus you need DCC to configure the decoder for optimal performance on DC.
Server years ago around when when DCC first came out I started collection N scale and built an N sale layout. Install a few decoders was not real happy with the Gen1 to Gen3 decoders. So I removed them all and went DC.
But a few years back when Gen5 and 6 decoders came along with improved motor control I install the latest decoders in my locos and never looked back. But I have around 20ish N scale locos.
Things to think about:
If you plain to stay with DC for now you may want to remove a motor only decoder, if one is installed and if it can be.
And it was not an issue until recently but the latest N scale locos are catching up with HO on DCC features. So having the ability to access most of the Functions will be nice.