# Am I on the right path....



## Bighurt (Sep 15, 2009)

Cross posted from the DCC forum...

Hi,

I currently model in both 1:87 and 1:29, neither have a functioning layout ATM...but I'd like to change that. I have a fair amount of LGB as well but I'd like that to remain inside and dedicate my outside track to a 1:29 railroad. That being said I'd prefer not to clean track its annoying. I'd also don't want to dump money into double systems.


That being said I don't have a DCC system for my HO stuff yet but I'm looking into it...

With everything I've read I think I'm going down this path;

-Battery operated R/C outside layout, with trailing battery car.
-Each outdoor loco equipped with its own decoder. (I have a few older USAT SD40's w/o sound)
-Airwire G2 decoders
-NCE gwire cab 


I like the idea that I can utilize the g-wire cab indoors with a pro-cab system. Means I don't have to buy double the cabs. 

I also like the idea that the G2 can host a DCC standard sound board, if and when I go to add sound.

I want to equip each loco with its own decoder so they can be run alone, mued and separated without worrying about exceeding the amps drawn on a single decoder inside the trail car. Also I plan to assign each loco an address based on its running board number. Makes it a lot easier to choose a loco if you can see the number vs trying to recall which Sante Fe SD-40 was assigned cab 17...at least to me. 


I would also like to run a trail car so I can swap out cars for charging on longer run days. I'm pretty savvy when it comes to electrical work so I don't have any problems installing or modified my equipment, besides from what I've read it seams straight forward.

Some other thoughts are maintaining the ability to go back to track power. Has anyone left the pick-ups in place and isolated them with a DBDT switch? Any issues with the pickups remaining in-place? In the off chance I visit a track power layout and my battery dies...call me crazy but I try and think ahead.


Also For the most part road engines will always be mued at a minimum in pairs, but road switchers may have to have perform so solo tasks now and then. Not easy with a battery car so I considered installing batteries in the fuel tank or cab if sound equipped. My thoughts are that the internal batteries could be again isolated with a DPDT and the loco could run via a battery car connected to its Mu cable. Anybody do that?


Obviously all my loco's require MU cables...


Kinda just throwin' all that out there makin' sure I'm not nuts and gettin' some FB on my thoughts, sort like lettin' the experts check my 6. Respond, call me an idiot what have you, or send me an email, I just feel I'm missing something crucial....


V/R
Jeremy


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## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

If you look at QSI decoders, you can run Track DC, DCC and battery/radio control if you add the Qwire board, and you have sounas a bonus. All of mine is battery in the boiler, or similar space, and I rarely run out of juice, ususally run out of time or daylight.


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