Hey Guys, does anyone know all the decoder sizes for Thomas&Friends Engines?,and do you have to use bachmann DCC Controlers and bachmann decoders for the engines?
from, TCTF 8)
well the bachmann thomas engines are not dcc ready u would either have to find a special seller who dcc's them thereselves or do it yourelf, but u can use bachmann decoders but i suppose any one would probably fit, seeing how there is a lot of space left in most of the engines, but ones like edward have no room whatsoever left in the engine, so then u would have to use the tender but if i could give u instructions on how to do so, i would but sadly i know how to do it by heart and for some odd reason cant write it out, so if what i typed did nothing sorry for wastin yo time man :P
Ok, thxs but can I use a Prodigy Express DCC
to control the engines?
sure. DCC decoders are basically universal to any DCC system. and for the larger tender engines i recommend using an N/HO decoder, that means you can use the decoder in either HO or N scale trains.
Quote from: Anthony P2 on June 11, 2011, 11:29:40 AM
sure. DCC decoders are basically universal to any DCC system. and for the larger tender engines i recommend using an N/HO decoder, that means you can use the decoder in either HO or N scale trains.
I plan to someday put DCC in my Bachmann Thomas engines, including the tender engines, so thanks for the tip.
in theory you can control any decoder with any dcc system. in practice, any system will run any decoder, but you may not be able to program them.
my experience with thomas series engines is limited, but i can tell you there is not alot of room in the cab for a decoder. while a small HO decoder like the dh123 will fit, a better choice would be to use an N or Z scale decoder. digitrax dz125 or any similar size decoder would be perfect for this application. it is about 1/2 the size of the dh123. if you want a bachmann equivalent, try the 44925 decoder, but understand you may not be able to adjust the top speed of your locomotive.
Quote from: jward on June 11, 2011, 03:12:05 PM
in theory you can control any decoder with any dcc system. in practice, any system will run any decoder, but you may not be able to program them.
my experience with thomas series engines is limited, but i can tell you there is not alot of room in the cab for a decoder. while a small HO decoder like the dh123 will fit, a better choice would be to use an N or Z scale decoder. digitrax dz125 or any similar size decoder would be perfect for this application. it is about 1/2 the size of the dh123. if you want a bachmann equivalent, try the 44925 decoder, but understand you may not be able to adjust the top speed of your locomotive.
As long as the decoder is common and the DCC system can access the functions and the locomotive's address, you should be fine
not all decoders support the adjustment of top speed. literature on the bachmann ones does not list this feature as supported, though there have been reports of people who were able to set the speed. i am hoping that the latest bachmann decoders support this and the online documentation hasn't been updated. this is a very basic cv which should be universally supportedby all decoders.