Hi All,
New to forum and all, but my son is getting his first train set for Christmas this year, and hehe..so is dad along with him. I'm jumping back into the hobby as well. So with that said, he is getting from his Grandparets the Bachmann Digital Commander set, and me and his mom are getting him a few more engines and rolling stock and track. So, my question is this:
Our layout will be 5'x16' with 3 main lines and lots of switches(10). How in all of Hades do I make the switches work with the EZ Commander or am I missing something here? I've looked on youtube and found really nothing...so am I going to have to do all of this switching around manually or are we are going to have to buy some other gadget to make all of them work. We also have 2 crossovers one left and one right.
any and all help is GREATLY appreciated!!!
Thanks in advance!
Bal
Bal
There are no a/c terminals on the EZ Command.
I use an extra power pack from a DC set I had. You can find them on e-bay cheap.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=209
also if you have an old power pack off an old cell phone,rc car,etc. they will work also just cut the end off and wire it to your switches. With that many switches you may want to use a barrier strip for all those wires.
If you are using the dc power pack use the A/C terminals at the top.
Jerry
ok, thanks! time to show my ignorance now..what is a barrier strip?
nvm...just googled it, and i thought that was what it was. =) thanks again!
This is the strip
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103229
This is the jumper needed
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103227
I run one lead from the power pack to one and the other lead to the other to power my switches
Jerry
Now I'm faced with an interesting dilemma . Should I isolate one of the three mains and run it with the new power pack or should I just tie it in all together? Both have advantages. With it isolated I can run two dc engines. With it tied in together I can only run one, also with it isolated there will be only one track" with it tied together I can switch between all three lines the way I have it set up. Ah, choices choices....also, Jerry will that 8 pin jumper be enough or do need 2? I'm guessing by your avatar your from the south? I'm in Mississippi myself. Anyway thanks again for all the help and future help!
QuoteWith it isolated I can run two dc engines
Your original post was uusing the Digital Commander set with the EZ Command controller which is DCC. If that is what you are going to use then you do not have to isolate any of the tracks unless you have a reversing loop which would require a reverse loop module.
If you are running DC engines also (which I would not recommend for various reasons)
you could not run two at one time as the EZ Command only allows one DC engine to be used using the #10 key. You could run two but they would not be independently controled as the DCC engines can.
Quoterun it with the new power pack
The power pack I posted was to run the switches only to power the turnouts.
Your EZ Command that comes with the Digital Commander set will run everything just fine.
I did a lot of reading on DCC (and still learning more day to day) so I will start with a couple of good links to help you out.
http://www.awrr.com/dccintro1.html
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn2/DCC.htm
http://www.dccwiki.com/Introduction_to_DCC
What part of ms.? NOLA here.
Jerry
since you mentioned that you can cross over between all 3 lines i would strongly advise that you power your trains by dcc only. use the dc power pack to power your switches only,'
if dc and dcc ever get crossed, such as through a locomotive trying to cross from a dc track to a dcc one, you will probably destroy either your dcc or dc throttles. don't risk it, keep them seperated.
Thanks for the replies and links and the advice! As soon as I get the very newborn to sleep I'm going to do a very rough drawing of the layout and post it up so you can get a better understanding of what I'm talking about. Yeah, I know I can't run two dc engines independently off the ez command, but if I totally isolate the the third line no dcc will even be on it. Arghh I'm talking in circles let me try to get the newborn to sleep and the pic will explain it better.
Jerry, I'm in McComb if you know where that is. We have a pretty neat train museum here in honor of the ICG repair yard that used to thrive here and was the only reason our town was founded. Are there any dedicated train shops down in Nola? Or did the hurricane wipe em and spell doom to them? Drawing coming in a little while.
well, hope this works...better late than never right? remember it's a very rough drawing! not really to scale just showing the basic layout..lots of buidlings and town stuff in the blank areas..and work building for the yards and roundhouse. now hopefully the pic will load.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/balrog21/TRAINLAYOUT5X16.jpg)
link so you can see it bigger!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/balrog21/TRAINLAYOUT5X16.jpg
can you tell I'm tired...the layout size is 5'x16' sorry for the repeated posts...
Balrog-
You show a crossover between Main 1 and Main 3 at the bottom of your diagram near the right end. This risks a disastrous electrical
accident if you are running one with DC and one with DCC. Also, it looks like Mains 1 and 2 cross one another twice near the middle of
your layout. This would also be calamitous if they do not have the same control system.
-- D
yeah, Doneldon, this is with it all connected together, which after some serious thought I'm going to keep it that way. If i wanted to separate it I would take the x-over out at the bottom right, but after thinking about it it wouldn't be as much fun - too many swithching and fun hours would be wasted if I isolated Main 3. So, all will be connected and the DC power pack will only be used to run the switches. Main 3 will be elavated via tier or rock formation and Main 2 will run through it at the bottom.
a couple of other things I'm aware of as well that I've already taken into consideration.
I will have at least 2 feet of clearance all the way around the layout. Yeah, 5 feet is wide, but I'm pretty tall with very long arms so possible derails and reaching them really won't be a problem! =) I wish I had the luxury of having the whole room for my layout but this is what I'm allowed and my son will be involved so a shelf type layout isn't really in the cards atm (ah, but later!).
Now the fun stuff -
I'm from the deep south and we really don't have many rolling hills or mountains, but I do love mountains, so I'm adding a few for personal taste. My train yard will have some iconic buidlings that our own town's trainyard has. I can't model my home towns yard, it's huge. I'm from McComb,MS it was the only car repair shop between New Orleans and Memphis, TN and was a hopping place during it's day. But I can at least show a few golden nuggets in my yard to show the love. As a treat I'm providing two pics below. One is the offical partial layout of my town's yard, and the second is taken way back in 1976 when the orange and white's (ICG's)were constantly at work. Maybe one day I will add a line for the Panama Limited that ran through our town and had a stop here, but for now, the freighties win the day! Hope you enjoy the pics!
I do want to say thanks for all the advice and caution. Your help is GREATLY appreciated!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/balrog21/McCombtrainyard.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/balrog21/ICGdoingwork.jpg
here is a little bit better pic of the diagram so all can be read.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/balrog21/TRAINLAYOUT5X16BETTER-1.jpg
Bal
As suggested by Jeff do not use a DC power supply with DCC. You are risking damage to your controllers. DCC is the way to go.
I notice in your diagram the connection to the 3rd main line. How do you intend to get it back to the 1rst main line?
Jerry
P.S. - I hunt in Brookhaven and Liberty. I'm from Metairie.
There is a switch there...backing it out on the track I would guess or I may add another switch on the other side.
Yeah you know where McComb is then! My next question is do I need more than one 8 pin barrier switch? Since I have more than 8 switches?
I use 2, one strip for hot and the other for common.
You will have only 7 slots left after you wire in the power pack but you can double up as I have and run other accessories such as my turntable. You will only be throwing one switch at a time unless you wire your crossover to throw both at one time which I never could figure out why they don't make it that way as they supply to switches to throw them independently.
I run 15 turnouts off my one pack with no problems.
Jerry
if i may offer a suggestion regarding the track plan.....
watch out for s curves. always make sure you have a length of straight track betwen curves of opposite directions.
keep in mind that if you are using the 18r switches that a crossover between tracks will usually result in an 18r reverse curve, i'd use the numbered switches if possible but if you can't there are ways to eliminate those s curves.
the problem, is that when your cars and locomotives go around curves, the ends with the couplers swing out. on a reverse curve, those ends are swinging out in opposite directions, and can easily derail your train. adding a section of straight track between the two curves minimizes the swing.
Thanks, Jerry and Jim, noted and noted! Man, I can't wait till Christmas to get this baby rolling!